Helpless to Resist
by Lucy Greenhill
Summary: Cassie never thought all her Uncle John's crazy stories could be anything more than that: stories. But when two mysterious brothers stride into town and a series of attacks start happening, she'll realize there are many things she knew nothing about roaming in the dark.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Pilot

The alarm clock blared loudly in the morning silence. "Shut up!" I groaned moodily to no one in particular, cocooning myself in an even tighter way around my comfortable sheets. Despite the irresistible warmth of my bed, the noise was starting to become a nuisance, so much that I even managed to pluck up the courage to untangle my arm from the rest of my body and started patting around my bedside table, trying to turn it off and exposing myself to the chilly morning air.

Of course, with my luck, the clock was nowhere to be found by my wandering hand and I was forced to open my eyes – blinking owlishly at the beams of bright light streaming through my closed curtains – to try to find it. The infernal device was nowhere to be found, though the annoying beeping could still be heard all around the room. Forcing my eyes to focus and blinking off the sleepiness in them, I finally managed to find the alarm on top of my mahogany vanity; way out of my reach in my current position.

Muttering a string of profanities under my breath cursing everything I could think of – from the first day of my junior year, to my fantastic family members who must've had the great, yet evil idea to place the clock somewhere I would have to stand to have it turned off – I finally got out of bed with a long sigh escaping my lips. I cringed as my bare feet made contact with the cold floor and I could practically feel the goosebumps appearing all over my bare legs and arms, given that my sleepwear consisted of nothing more than a tank-top and underwear.

I practically smashed the alarm against the wood of the vanity, gratefully taking in the peaceful silence but knowing that, being fully awake already, getting back into bed to try and catch five more minutes of sleep was useless. So, huffing and stomping the whole way, I sleepily stumbled into my personal bathroom (unlike my older and younger siblings I actually had a bathroom to myself) and hopped into the shower, turning the knobs and making the water feel scalding hot against my cold skin.

After twenty minutes of washing through my hair and scrubbing my skin – particularly my face – free of any remnants of sleep, I turned the water off and jumped out of the bathtub, wrapping a fluffy white towel around myself. Wiping the mirror so I could take a look at my reflection as I brushed my teeth and blow-dried my hair, I studied the familiar stranger looking back at me. I still couldn't believe how much I had changed in the past few months; I had grown taller, standing at an impressive 5'8, as well as curvier in all the right areas, the youthful fat that had been present on my face had completely vanished, leaving my olive skin stretched over a set of high cheekbones and defined features. My hair had grown from its past shoulder length, reaching up to my waist in a long curtain of light brown strands. The only things that hadn't changed were my blue-grey eyes; maybe a little bit colder than before, but not noticeably so.

"Stop admiring yourself in the mirror and come down for breakfast!" My sister's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and got me moving around my room, changing into a pair of dark, skinny jeans, a grey top with lace details and my favorite black leather jacket, while applying some black eyeliner around my eyes to give me that edgy look that would deter kids at school from trying to talk to me. Ugh, as if I needed their sympathy and pity. I threw on a pair of black, heeled booties and grabbed my studded book bag before gliding out of my room and down the stairs, bumping into Elena on my way to the kitchen.

"Good morning!" she greeted chirpily, looking as if she'd been awake for hours already – which was probably the case. A grunt was my only reply as I hastily made my way towards the counter, eyeing the fresh coffee pot greedily and basically ignoring Aunt Jenna as she rummaged around the fridge, looking for something edible.

"Toast?" she was saying, frustrated with the lack of food in the house; as well as her lack of cooking abilities. "I can make toast."

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena told her, gratefully accepting the mug I handed her before filling up one for myself, which I took a gulp of immediately, letting the rich, exotic flavor heat my insides.

"Is there coffee?" little Jeremy – not so little now that he was finally standing one or two inches above me and dwarfed both Elena and Jenna – asked as he stepped into the kitchen, looking like his usual emo-self clad all in black. I let out an unhappy sigh as I was forced to put down my own beverage to fill up a cup for my baby brother.

"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," Jenna continued her rant, storming around the kitchen and going through her purse. Making eye-contact with the non-self-righteous sibling, I rolled my eyes in exasperation, causing Jeremy to let out a small chuckle and Elena to – of course – send a stern look my way. I was about to tell her to fuck off when Jenna practically materialized out of thin air at my side, a wad of dollar bills held tightly in her hand. "Lunch money?"

"Okay," Elena agreed, though Jeremy was faster and snatched the money out of Aunt Jenna's hands, giving some to us, his lovely older sisters.

"Anything else? A number 2 pencil? What am I missing?" she asked, heavy sarcasm tinting her voice.

"A couple of horse tranquilizers?" I suggested, causing my favorite brother to laugh at my comment for the second time that morning – great to know at least someone appreciated my humor.

"Didn't you have a big presentation today?" Elena reminded her, confused as to why our Aunt was stressing so much about her three teenage, yet independent wards when she had important work matters that needed her attention.

"I'm meeting with my thesis adviser at…" she took a glimpse at her wrist watch, not missing a beat, "now. Crap."

"Go, Aunt Jenna, everything will be fine," I assured her but, instead of a 'Thank you so much, my favorite niece in the world!' I received not two, but three blank stares – Jeremy's such a traitor! "What? I never said I'd be the one taking care of things, did I?"

With one last meaningful gaze exchanged between my Aunt and my annoyingly perfect older sister, Jenna fled the house as fast as she could, slamming the door shut on her way out. Naturally, Elena couldn't give the rest of us an adult-worry-free moment, so she immediately turned towards her easiest victim: Jeremy.

"You ok?" she asked, softly. I really couldn't blame her for being concerned about Jeremy's latest behavior – after all, he was acting quite differently than he did before everything – but I tried my best anyway.

Putting down the mug he was about to take to his lips, he let out a big sigh. "Don't start," he warned her.

Her expression was one of complete and utter defeat as Jeremy brushed past her to get out of the kitchen and up the stairs into his room, slamming the door behind him – quite noisily, might I add. She then looked at me, probably intent of letting some of the steam she was keeping in out, but I shrugged and raised my hands in a don't-ask-at-me gesture.

"He's already made it quite clear he doesn't want your help – or anyone's for that matter," I told her plainly and dully, mentally counting all the times we'd had that conversation – not that she ever listened to anything I had to say about it but, of course, no one ever did. "He'll ask for it if he ever needs it."

"That's easy for you to say," she snapped, clearly angered by my nonchalance, "you've already thrown your life down the drain, so why should you care he's doing the same?"

"Sure, Elena, being the screwed-up sister for these past months has made me realize how lonely the black sheep of the family gets without any company and I want someone else to follow in my footsteps," I said darkly, yet calmly, my voice practically dripping sarcasm. She took a step backwards, clearly hurt by my words, but I didn't give a shit, as she obviously didn't care about how her own comments might upset me. "In case you haven't noticed, smothering him won't snap him out of it; it'll only push him away. These months have been hard on all of us, and even when Jeremy and I don't spend hours pouring our feelings out on a piece of paper it doesn't mean you have any right to judge." Her horror-filled face scrunched up even more as I let out all the words I'd been bottling in after a whole summer of her holier-than-thou attitude. "So why don't you get off your high horse and let the poor kid get through this phase without your constant nagging?"

Leaving my sister practically in tears, but refusing to feel guilty about giving her the reality check she was so desperately in need of, I stomped out of the kitchen, my coffee mug forgotten. _Great, you even managed to ruin coffee for me, Elena, good going._ Just as I grabbed my discarded book bag from the living room couch, Jeremy appeared, clambering down the stairs.

"Can I get a ride with you?" he asked, already knowing my answer as he opened the front door for us to step out of the house and into the warm morning light. I greedily took a deep breath of air, letting it fill my lungs as I relaxed my tense muscles from the discussion I'd just been in. _Don't let her get to you, _I sternly told myself as I clicked on a button of my car keys so the doors would open.

I followed Jeremy's example and got into my beautiful black Citroen DS3 convertible, pulling the roof off with another button so we could enjoy those last weeks of summer heat. Jeremy was quiet the whole ride across town, as was I, and I didn't even bother turning on the music as it no longer had a calming effect on me. The silence wasn't an awkward at all, since Jeremy and I were as close as siblings could get nowadays but, by the time I pulled into the school's parking lot, I knew I had to say something, even if it meant no longer being the cool older sister.

"Jer, wait," I stopped him before he stepped out of the car. He raised a questioning eyebrow at me, unsure as to what I wanted to tell him. "Close the door and sit down, please." He did as I asked, all the while shooting me confused out looks. "I know you don't want to hear this and that Elena made sure you did about five times a day anyway, but hear me out, okay? I know you're mourning – hell, we all are – but what you're doing isn't healthy, Jer. I'm not opposing to you having a good time: drinking, partying, fucking, whatever makes you happy, you know? But stay away from drugs, will you?"

"You're right," he said, sighing deeply and grabbing his backpack as he opened the car's door. _Huh, and here I was thinking this would be difficult,_ I thought appreciatively. "I don't want to hear this."

With that, he slammed the door shut and stomped away, making his way across the sea of teenagers that were already filling the school's front lawn. "Shit," I muttered to myself, huffing tiredly as I grabbed my bag and got out of the car as well, locking it with a simple click on the keys. I looked across the crowd, trying to find Jeremy's retreating back but, instead, meeting the gazes of almost the complete student body as they stared unabashedly at me and whispered among themselves. "Screw them." _Might as well give them something to really gawk at._

Keeping that thought in mind, I bitchily flipped my hair and started strutting up to the school, smirking slightly as the multitude parted like the Red Sea to let me through. _Hell, even after a complete makeover, I still own the place,_ I noted sardonically, taking notice with a scoff of the intimidated looks in everyone's eyes.

"Cass? Cassie!"

I wanted so badly to keep on walking in the direction I was heading but, unfortunately, the person I wanted to escape from was _the_ school's jock, and would therefore catch up with me without a problem, even if I made a run out of it. Not that I would, mind you, as Cassie Gilbert ran away from nothing and no one. A hand was placed on my shoulder, and I turned sharply, shrugging it off brusquely.

"What is it, Tyler?" I snapped at him in a low, deadly clam voice, trying to hold in the growl that was building in my throat. I wasn't about to let his presence affect me, damn it! I was filled with a deep sense of satisfaction when I noticed that, even without the heels I was wearing, I would still be able to look him in the eye without having to crane my neck upwards. It was empowering.

"Look, I just wanted to know how you were doing," he said in that no-nonsense tone that made him so damn hot. He was irritated, I knew it; after all, I'd been ignoring his calls and avoiding his usual hangout places – which used to be mine, as well – for the whole summer. Sue me, I didn't want to see him; I didn't want to have the conversation that we were having at that moment and I sure as hell didn't want to listen to his stupid apologies. "I'm sorry –" _there it goes… _"about what happened, okay? I didn't mean for it to go that way."

"You mean you didn't mean for me to find you shoving your tongue down some slut's throat during my parents' wake?" I retorted crudely. He winced a little at the way I phrased my thoughts, but didn't back down in the slightest – not that I expected him to.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jeremy calmly walking into the men's toilets and Elena rushing after him in an angered state. "Look, Cassie, I –"

"Save it, Lockwood," I interrupted, pushing past him to follow my two sibling, knowing trouble was brewing and not wanting to miss it. When I entered the bathroom, shoving aside some younger blond bloke to get through, I saw Elena holding Jeremy's face and examining his eyes beneath the fluorescent lights.

"Great," she hissed angrily, "it's the first day of school and you're stoned."

I leaned against one of the stall's door, glad I hadn't been noticed yet as I studied the situation unraveling in front of me.

Jeremy slapped Elena's hands away from his face as his temper began rising too. "No, I'm not," he snapped.

"Where is it?" Elena asked, ignoring his previous comment. "Is it on you?"

She started checking his pockets as Jeremy tried to push her away from him. I made a face, knowing things would end up badly for everyone. "Stop nagging, you need to chill yourself, alright?" Jeremy said, finally managing to shove her off.

"Chill myself?" Elena repeated shrilly. "What is that? Stoner talk? Dude, you are _so _cool."

As proud as I was that my sister had finally learned to incorporate a healthy dose of sarcasm into her vocabulary, I knew I needed to step in before things got out of hand.

"Stop! I don't have anything on me! Are you crazy?" Jeremy yelled, trying to fence off Elena's hands.

"Okay, kiddies, that's quite enough," I said, marching in and using my full strength to pull Elena away from a struggling Jeremy. "This isn't helping," I whispered to her lowly so that Jeremy wouldn't hear.

"You haven't seen crazy, Jeremy," she hissed viciously, trying to pry herself from my grip and failing. Let me tell you, for someone that was at least three inches shorter than me, she had some serious strength going on. "I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself."

"Hate to side with the control freak over here, but I have to agree with her on this one," I drawled tonelessly. "You want to freak out and have a good time? Go ahead. But I'm not going to stop her from ruining your buzz every single time and I'm actually going to enjoy watching her torture you."

My great little speech was ruined by someone flushing the toilet and I glared at the guy as he gave us speculative looks as he walked past us, making him cringe and avert his gaze. Elena sighed and went limp in my hold, so I let her go, standing ready to grab her again if she looked like she was about to attack Jeremy once more.

"Jeremy, I know who you are," she said in her annoying lecture voice, prepared to give a speech as full of stupid proverbs and clichés as she could pack in. I could've told her that was not the way to go with someone like Jeremy – he was too much like myself in that sense – but I knew she wouldn't knock it 'till she tried it, so I let her continue. "That's not this person. So don't be this person."

"I don't need this," he said to her face, with a deadly serious expression. Jeremy then turned to me. "From either of you."

"He'll come around," I said, acting as supportive as I could before following Jeremy's path out of the men's room. As I got back out into the crowded hall, I noticed everyone's eyes were for the first time in the day – thankfully – not on me, but on some black-clad, drop-dead gorgeous, new guy. "Who is he?" I asked Bonnie, seeing as she seemed to be trailing behind the guy like a lost puppy.

"No idea," she confessed, shaking her head but remaining open-mouthed with her big, hazel eyes fixed on the dude.

Just as he was about to enter the men's room, Elena came out, bumping into him in the process. She looked up at him and her eyes glazed over as she took in his godly face – and seriously fit body; my sister might be a pain in my ass but she wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination.

"What is she doing?" I muttered to myself, as I observed from a distance how Elena seemed to be stuttering and making a fool out of herself in front of the new, hot guy. Bonnie shrugged and we shared an exasperated eye-roll as we continued watching my sister's exchange with the hunky piece of fresh meat. The moment they started stepping in front of each other as they tried to move in their own direction – like some kind of seriously messed up dance or something – was when I finally had too much. "Gag me!"

Bonnie gave me a light slap on the shoulder, but seemed to be relieved as well when Elena finally managed to walk away from the guy without making more of an ass out of herself. "Come on, we have history and you know Tanner already has enough reasons to hate your guts without you being late on the first day back," she told me with that same strict tone she and my sister seemed to share as she started towing me around the hallways. "So, how was your summer?"

I gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. "Seriously?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Just because I said more than ten words to you doesn't mean we're friends or anything, because we're not. God, I knew there was a reason I didn't speak to people. I hate it when they get all friendly and chatty."

I smirked, walking ahead of her and leaving a fuming, pouty Bonnie behind me as I entered Tanner's classroom and took my usual seat at the back and next to the window. Elena was already seated near the front – damn golden girl attitude – and Bonnie was quick to follow inside, taking her place in front of me. It was weird; having classes with my older sister when I was supposed to be a sophomore but, having skipped a year during Elementary School – don't ask how _that_ happened – I was forced to endure Elena's presence during school hours as well as at home.

I found out I had been zoning out and had barely paid attention to other people walking into the classroom but, of course, my _favorite_ teacher in the whole world had to make his entrance known by hitting a heavy text book against his desk. As he began his lecture about the civil war – seriously, it seemed that history teachers had no other topic to talk about during class – my eyes started wandering around the classroom as I half-heartedly doodled in my notebook.

It seemed like Elena's ex-boyfriend/boy toy had taken the empty seat next to me. Matt – the guy was too nice for his own good – flashed me a small smile when his eyes met mine, to which I replied with a nod; I didn't do smiles, just salacious smirks when the situation demanded them. To my surprise – and excitement – the new guy had been placed on the table next to Bonnie, diagonally from mine, and he was stealing small glances at my sister every once in a while when he thought no one was looking.

"Once our home State of Virginia joined confederacy in 1861, it created an enormous amount of tension within the State." Translation from Tanner language to my own, simple English: blah, blah, I know so much more than you dunderheads, blah.

Really, it was way more interesting for me to watch as Elena shyly returned new-guy's looks (mental note: find out the guy's name or create some sort of pet-name before new guy sticks), Bonnie texted her something and Matt watched the exchanges with jealousy. Of course, the drama unfolding in front of my eyes still wasn't important enough to keep my attention for long, so my gaze turned towards the window next to me.

A clear sign that you're losing your mind from boredom: envying a raven standing on a nearby tree for not having to sit through an entire hour of history. It was quite creepy, though; the way the bird wasn't just mindlessly cawing around, but standing still and unmoving, his head pointed in the direction of the school, almost as if it was staring towards the building – the history room's window in particular.

"Miss Gilbert," Tanner's voice woke me up from my daydream and I looked up in hopes that he was referring to my sister. Of course, luck wouldn't have it go my way even just this once and the teacher's dark eyes were solely focused on me – _crap!_ "What can you tell us about the proposals adopted by the Virginia Convention of 1861?"

_This is not going to be a good day,_ I told myself as I calmly replied to his question, refusing to be thrown out of balance by Tanner of all people. After he finished critiquing my answer and he, once again, resumed his boring lecture, I chanced a glance at the tree outside of school, seeing the black bird was nowhere in sight. With a sigh, I focused my attention back on the incessant flow of words coming out of Tanner's mouth, trying not to think about the fact that first period hadn't even ended and I was already wishing for the day to be over.

* * *

"Come on Elena, I'm getting hotter by the minute, but not younger!" I yelled up the stairs, tapping the heel of my brand new, thigh-high boots against the floorboards as I waited for my annoying older sister – who I had to drive everywhere because of the fear she had developed for cars – to finish getting ready.

We were going to The Grill. She was meeting up with Bonnie and Caroline so the three could catch up about the first day back at school; I was eager to try out my new fake ID on the bartender to see if I could get a few drinks and maybe play some pool. After a whole day that included pitiful looks from those brave enough to not be intimidated by my glare and a whole hour of listening to Tanner tell us how little we knew about everything, I was in serious need of some alcohol. While Elena was hoping to have a good chat with her friends, I was wishing for Tyler and his whore Vicki to have run out to fuck by the time I got there so that I wouldn't have to endure my ex-boyfriend trying to make me jealous enough for me to plead to get back together. _Ha, never gonna happen._

Her majesty, Queen Elena finally found it in herself to grace us with her presence as she came down the stairs. "I'm meeting Bonnie at The Grill," she told Jenna, who I hadn't noticed standing behind me.

"Okay, have fun," our Aunt said, before thinking better of it. "Wait! I got this… Don't stay out late, it's a school night."

"Next time add something like: 'Be back before eleven, young lady'," I piped in, finally earning a laugh from my older sister, who seemed to be in a suspiciously better mood ever since she started sharing those heated looks with hunky boy, aka Stefan – yes, I had succeeded in finding out his name; not that it was too hard, Caroline was practically screaming all she knew about the new kid down the hallways the moment the final bell rang.

"Well done, Aunt Jenna," Elena congratulated with a laugh. She grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the door in an excited manner – _need I remind her _she_ was the one who was running late?_ I narrowly avoided running into her, though, when she stopped in her tracks the moment she opened the door. "Oh."

"Sorry, I was about to knock," a smooth, charming voice came from the other side of the door. Peeking behind my sister, my eyes met none other than Stefan Salvatore, _'hawt new boy at Mystic Falls High'_ – Caroline's words, not mine.

Rolling my eyes at my sister's star-struck expression and the appreciative eyes of a certain Mr. Salvatore, I made sure to excuse myself. "You can walk to The Grill, right?" I asked Elena. "I can see this is going to take some time and I'm in desperate need of some whiskey right now." She nodded lightly, probably not having caught the full meaning of my words – otherwise she would've been giving me hell about my drinking habits. "Alright, have fun, but don't do anything I wouldn't do." I paused as I walked past Stefan out of the door. "Okay, scratch that, there isn't much I wouldn't do." I gave Elena one more suggestive smirk, watching in amusement as she narrowed her dark eyes at me as a small blush formed on her cheeks. "Pleasure meeting you, Stef."

Without waiting for a reply, I got into my car and sped out of the driveway before Elena could recover enough to start yelling at me. Taking advantage of the fact that my sister wasn't in the car with me, I drove as fast as I could, making it to The Grill in record time. As I stepped into the bar, I was glad to feel Tyler's eyes glued to the sliver of skin of my legs that showed between my skirt and boots and the glare I was receiving from Vicki Donovan was a plus. However, said cheating douche was currently hogging the pool area, and I wasn't about to approach him. Instead I decided, against my better instincts, to take a seat at a table with Bonnie and Matt. Both teens regarded me with raised eyebrows.

"My jerk of an ex is taking up the pool table and, seeing as he's flirting with your sister in front of my face again, I need someone to look after my purse while I drink my week's lunch money," I confessed with as much of an innocent smirk as I could muster. Bonnie laughed heartily and Matt gave me a sympathetic glance before throwing a nasty glare towards his best friend and sister. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get myself a drink."

I confidently strutted up to the bar, giving the young – and therefore highly manageable – bartender a sexy smirk. It only took one glance at my fake ID for him to freely hand me the glass of plain whiskey I asked for.

"Isn't that too strong for a young girl like you?" an incredibly sexy, silky voice asked. I looked to my side to find a man on the stool next to mine; an amazingly gorgeous and well-built god of a man. A seductive smirk appeared on my face as I took in the guy's appearance: tousled raven hair, mischievous smirk, the most appealing icy blue eyes I'd ever seen and, what was more, he had a glass identical to mine in between his hands. He looked to be in his early to mid twenties and, to my great pleasure, he seemed to be checking me out too.

"Don't worry," I purred lowly. "I have experience."

"With alcohol?" he asked, going along with my game.

"With a lot of things," I clarified, biting my bottom lip invitingly. He shifted slightly in his seat, leaning forward and looking dead straight into my eyes – icy blue crashing with forest green.

"You want to go outside with me," he said with a lot of conviction, almost as if he was ordering me.

"No, thanks, I'm hanging out with friends." As hot as he was, and as much as I wanted to, I wasn't about to have sex with him in a back alley. I wouldn't have been opposed to a nice, hot make-out session, but definitely not when he thought he had the right to boss me around. I saw a look of shock go through his face – probably wasn't used to being turned down – but I didn't give him the chance to say anything because a sudden commotion made me turn towards the door. Over the heads of the crowd, I managed to make out the figure of my sister walking into the bar with none other than Stefan new-hot-guy Salvatore. "Oh my."

I looked beside me only to find the sexy guy missing, the only clue that he hadn't been a figment of my imagination the empty whisky glass he had been holding only moments before. I was kind of disappointed by the guy's hasty retreat, but I quickly hid it and went to take the seat Matt had just vacated, where Bonnie and I were soon joined by Elena, Stefan and Caroline. Catching a glimpse of the alcoholic beverage in my hand, my sister threw me a dark look, but I simply gave her a small smirk in response, my head still mulling about the dark, handsome stranger.

"So," the Caroline inquisition began, "you were born in Mystic Falls?"

Stefan nodded, oblivious – or perhaps too polite to mind – that he was being subjected to the friends' exam of approval. "And moved while I was still young."

"Parents?" Caroline pressed.

"My parents passed away," he confessed with the ease of someone who had years to come to terms with the fact that he was an orphan. I felt the usual burn in my heart and constricted feeling in my throat that I experienced every time someone mentioned anything about parental figures, but waved the feeling away, something that was becoming easier as the time passed.

"I'm sorry," Elena said sincerely, sadness lacing her voice. She took her eyes away from Stefan for a second to gaze with concern at me, to which I responded with a reassuring nod. She then returned her attention to the hunky man sitting on her other side. "Any siblings?"

"None that I talk to," he admitted with a shrug and a sincere smile. "I live with my uncle." Coincidence much?

Caroline, who didn't look too happy about being left aside in the conversation, decided it was time to break their little bubble. "So, Stefan," she began, "if you're new then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the falls," Bonnie added.

"Are _you_ going?" Stefan asked Elena.

"There's free booze, of course she is," I spoke for her, giving my frowning sister a cheeky smirk. She smiled slightly under Stefan's heated gaze but her face fell when she noticed something behind me. I turned around and saw that Tyler, with Vicki trailing behind him like a lost puppy, was purposefully making his way towards our table. "I'd better bolt. Get a ride with someone else, sis."

With those loving parting words, I drowned what was left of whisky in my glass, grabbed my purse and ran like a bat out of hell. Again, no, I wasn't by any means scared of Tyler Lockwood, but that didn't mean I wanted to see his stupid face. All the way to my car I was forced to ignore the sensation in the pit of my stomach that was telling me there was something out there, in the darkness, following me with its eyes, but every time I turned my head to look there was no one.

* * *

I woke up with a start when my elbow slipped and my head unceremoniously hit the table. I groaned, coming to the sad realization that I wasn't cuddling comfortably with my pillow in my soft, warm and comfortable bed, but in Mr. Tanner's history class.

"The Battle of Willow Creek," he was lecturing, "took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls." I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them but failing miserably. Jeez, getting up at six in the morning two times in a row was seriously messing with my much needed rest. "How many casualties resulted in this battle?" His eyes roamed around the classroom and, for once, they didn't settle on me. "Miss Bennett?"

Bonnie was actually startled and she threw a confused glance my way; glad to know I wasn't being paranoid when I said Tanner had it out for me. "Umm… a lot?" she replied, though it sounded as more of a question than anything else. Some people let out small chuckles, something that seemed to irritate the already moody teacher. "I'm not sure, but like a whole lot."

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Miss Bennett," Tanner admonished her, causing her previously hopeful expression to turn sour. "Mr. Donovan! Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner," the blond assured him. "I'm cool with it."

Even _I _had to snort at that, but my amusement was short-lived when the teacher focused his attention on my sister. "Elena?" he invited her. "Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significant historical events?"

My sister had that deer-in-the-headlights look that showed that, unlike me, she really cared about Tanner's opinion of her so she could pass history. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I – I don't know."

"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena," Tanner said, causing me to glare viciously at him. "But the personal excuses ended with summer break."

My anger spiked dramatically as I watched my sister lower her gaze, sadness filling her dark eyes. "How about you focus on the history instead of making your students feel like crap?" I spat furiously, my fists clenched tightly, snapping my pen in half.

Before Tanner could reply – probably to assign me some detention – Stefan's voice interrupted the silence. "There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting the local civilians," Stefan answered, shocking every single person in that classroom. I shared an appraising look with my sister: she definitely got the brawn and the brains with that guy.

"That's correct," Tanner admitted. "Mr.…"

"Salvatore," Stefan informed him.

"Salvatore?" Tanner repeated. "Any relation to the original settles here in Mystic Falls?"

Stefan seemed to take some time before answering that one. "Distant."

"Very good," Tanner reluctantly congratulated him. "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

"Actually, there were 27, sir," Stefan said, making Tanner stop in his tracks due to the shock of being corrected. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on a church believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss." For the first time in a long time, I was actually grinning instead of smirking, but damn, it felt too good to see Tanner being put in his place and, judging by the amused looks on the other students' faces, I wasn't the only one who was enjoying the moment. "The founders' archives are stored in the City Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

At that, gasps of shock and stifles of laughter could be heard all around the classroom and, given my previous experience angering Tanner, I could tell the smile on his face was filled with barely concealed hatred for the student that was making him look incompetent. I couldn't help thinking Tanner had it coming.

* * *

It was dark out and the party was already in full swing. With the bottle of Jack Daniels in my hand that I had bought before arriving at the falls because I in no way was about to drink that cheap booze they had there, I staggered towards the bonfire, where my sister and Bonnie were chatting. I was already quite tipsy by the time I arrived – I'd allowed Jeremy the privilege of driving my car – something that had only increased as the hours surrounded by mindless teenagers went by. Seriously it seemed that being drunk caused people to forget about the fact that I intimidated them and had therefore no problem asking me whether I was okay after being cheated on by my boyfriend of two years during my parents' funeral.

"Mind if I stick with you?" I asked, taking a gulp of the whiskey bottle as I threw my arms around the two shorter girls. Between my taller height and the 5-inch heels I was wearing, I stood about a head taller than both best friends. "You two shorties are the only people here that might have a chance of stopping me if I have the sudden urge to choke someone to death."

Elena rolled her eyes and Bonnie gave me an understanding look, but neither of them opposed to my presence. "I was telling your sister that she should just admit it," Bonnie filled me in.

"What? That she has the hots for Mr. Salvatore?" I slurred teasingly. Elena glared at me, but it was done halfheartedly; clearly, the mere thought of dark, tall and handsome was enough to relax her after having to deal with me.

"O-okay, so he's a little pretty," she ruefully acknowledged.

"He has a romance novel stare," Bonnie countered.

"I, for one, am more interested in what goes on _below _his face," I purred, with a suggestive wink. Bonnie let out an unladylike snort at that and even my usually stoic sister had a small smile on her face at my impish comments.

"So, where is he?" Bonnie wondered, looking around for the looming figure of one Mr. Salvatore.

"I don't know," Elena said, trying to appear nonchalant, even though someone as oblivious as Caroline could've realized she was quite crestfallen about her crush's absence. "You tell _me_, you're the psychic one."

"Wait… what?" I asked, completely confused with the new turn of events.

"Right… I forgot you didn't know about it," Bonnie said. "My Grams says I'm psychic 'cause we're descendants from the Salem witches or something like that." She then turned to my sister. "Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I need to concentrate."

"Wait," I interrupted her, a mischievous smirk on my face as I came up with an idea. "You need a crystal ball."

"Seems someone's had a bit too much liquid fun," I heard Elena whispering in Bonnie's ear as I searched around for something that could look the part of a glassy object.

"Tada," I said as I presented my sister's 'witchy' best friend with an empty beer bottle. "And I heard that, by the way."

"Really?" Elena mocked sarcastically while Bonnie laughed breathily. Any trace of a smile, though, completely disappeared from her face when she went to grab the bottle and her hand made contact with mine. The mocha-skinned girl let out a small gasp as her hazel eyes widened in complete shock. After about a second or so, she hastily removed her hand from its place, looking at me as if I was a stranger she had found inside her shower with a bloody knife. "What is it?"

"What?" Elena prompted.

"It was weird," Bonnie replied, her face a mask of puzzlement. "When I touched you, I saw a crow."

"What?" Elena repeated while my mind flashed to the black bird I'd considered a raven I'd seen the day before through the window during Tanner's history lesson.

"A crow," Bonnie confirmed. "There was fog… a man…" Bonnie seemed to have noticed my expression had turned from tipsy and amused to contemplating and blank, because she quickly backpedalled. "I'm drunk! It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it."

"I thought it was a raven," I thought aloud, regretting it the instant Bonnie's surprise seemed to spike and my sister's eyes clouded with concern.

"Okay… I'm gonna get a refill," Bonnie rushed nervously before practically sprinting away.

I caught sight of an approaching Stefan and decided that, between the sexual tension that was about to fill the place and the fact that my sister seemed to be more worried than me about Bonnie's revelation, I should follow the psychic/witch/whatever's example and make my retreat. So I took one last gulp at my whiskey and tossed the bottle away. "Oh, look at that, I should go with Bonnie," I told Elena. "Later!"

"Wait, Cassie!" But her voice was cut off once she turned around and caught sight of her hunk of a man.

I was quick to escape into the crowd, trying to blend in as much as I could as I wandered aimlessly, my mind still filled with thoughts of the information Bonnie had just shared. It had to be a coincidence, right? Bonnie had to have somehow guessed what I had been thinking the whole week about – even if it was a stretch of the imagination. But there was no chance of Bonnie being a witch, of the crow being anything more than a bird, or of anything out of the ordinary going on in Mystic Falls of all places.

"Cassie!"

Crap, I knew that voice. Seeing as people in such a state of inebriation were quite reluctant to make way for me, I had to elbow my way through the crowd, and I ended up entering the dark forest. To be quite honest, I preferred facing the darkness and the unknown before a drunken Tyler Lockwood when he had his mind set on something.

However, I was too out of shape – and too drunk – to stand a chance at outrunning football team member, and jock supreme, Tyler Lockwood and, too soon for my liking, I felt a hand on my shoulder, roughly turning me around and forcing my back against a tree. Having had a couple of drinks in the course of the night, Tyler ended up using more force than needed but, other than a sharp intake of breath and a slight wince, I let out no indication of my pain.

"What do you want, Tyler?" I asked, struggling against him as his shorter, but wider and more muscled body, pinned me against the tree. The hand that wasn't on my shoulder forcing me against the tree grabbed firmly onto my waist, his fingers digging painfully into the skin there.

"I want you back, Cass," he breathed out, his nose skimming possessively against the skin of my neck. I pushed him back as hard as I could, not with enough force to get him off me, but with sufficient power to cause him to stumble slightly and therefore get his face away from my skin.

"You know what _I_ want, Tyler?" I hissed harshly, anger making my eyes narrow and my nostrils flare. "I want a boyfriend that loves me for more than just my ass; I want someone to really listen when I'm talking, instead of trying to cop a fell. But more than that, I want a guy who won't cheat on me with a druggy whore when I'm at my most vulnerable moment and I need someone to lean on; just for a day."

"Cassie, please, listen," Tyler begged, his hands encasing both of my flailing ones easily. I pulled them out of his grasp, hitting his hard chest, but having no effect whatsoever.

"No, Tyler, I will_ not _listen," I spat out, stressing each word with a punch. "I will_ not_ forgive you. I will_ not_ forget that I had to be told by my Aunt Jenna that she'd found you making out with some cheap slut outside the house during my parents' wake. And I will never, _ever_, get back with you."

In a fit of rage, Tyler punched the tree beside my head, making a small dent in it. I ruefully reminded myself to avoid angering him any further, lest I wanted my face to be his next target. "You don't understand, Cass," he whispered dejectedly, cupping my face delicately between his rough hands. "I can't stop thinking about you. Even when I'm with Vicki, you're all that's in my mind and no matter how much I try, I can't take you out. I'm still in love with you."

He was looking at me with a glimpse of hope in his dark eyes and I could see he was being truthful but, after so many months of bitterness, I couldn't care less about his suffering. "And I _hate_ you," I spat viciously.

His eyes hardened as did his hold on my face and, before I knew it, his lips were on mine, unwanted and demanding, nipping harshly at the skin with bruising force. Not only did I not respond, but I also started pushing against him with all my strength, going as far as to kick his shins and stomp on his feet with the thin heels of my pumps.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Jeremy's voice boomed across the silent forest and, with a final shove, I was able to push Tyler's body away from mine. In three long strides, I was next to my brother, his arm pushing me aside and behind him as he faced my ex.

"You know, you're starting to get on my nerves, Gilbert," Tyler snarled angrily, looking like his usual cocky self as he strutted towards us.

"Leave him alone, Tyler," I said, pushing past Jeremy's protective arm and moving to stand between the two males. "And stay the hell away from me."

"That's not what you used to say when you asked me to fuck you," he said with a self-assured smirk. "Again and again."

I could feel Jeremy tensing behind me, so I took his hand in mine in case I needed to pull him away from a fight. "I wouldn't have asked for so many repeats if you could've made the first time last," I countered back smoothly. Tyler's face clouded with annoyance, but I never felt as happy by seeing the approaching figure of Vicki Donovan. I motioned with my head towards her. "Why don't you have a go at someone with lower standards?"

"Ty, what's going on?" she asked, in that stupid, girlish voice of her that irritated me beyond belief.

With one last, heated look at me, Tyler decided to make his way out of the conversation. "Nothing," he spat, shoving her aside as he walked away.

"What were you doing here with him, Cassie?" Jeremy asked angrily, as slutty Vicki got nearer to us. "Are you stupid? The guy's a dick!"

"Would you mind your own business, Jeremy?" I snapped, irritated by being lectured by a fifteen-year-old stoner. "I don't need you taking care of me; I can look after myself."

"Sure you can," he retorted scathingly, failing to notice that his whore of a crush was standing behind him, hanging on every word he said. "That's why I had to save you from being raped in the woods by Tyler-fucking-Lockwood!"

Vicki gasped in horror, but she was the farthest thing from my mind at that moment; I was practically seething with anger and red tinted my vision. "Okay, I never wanted to be this person, but you've gone too far this time," I hissed, venom dripping from my voice as I struggled to keep my voice steady. "I know I'm not the poster child for teenage good behavior; that's Elena. I know I've made my fair share of mistakes and that I've screwed up all the good things I've had in my life. I know I'm not a good example for you and you know how much I'd like to be. But until you clean up your act, stop with the drugs and get yourself together you sure as hell have no moral authority to tell me what to do with my freaking life! So, until you get yourself clean and make a change in your life, leave mine the hell alone!"

With those final words and a last glower thrown towards my brother – and maybe Vicki too, because I sure as hell took every chance I had to find out if the 'looks-could-kill' thingie had changed overnight – I stomped away from the scene, refusing to follow Tyler's path towards the party and, instead, walking even deeper into the woods. It sure was a stupid decision, to calmly walk into the forest at night, without the faintest idea of where I was going, but I was so angry I didn't even care at the moment.

I stopped in my tracks when a chill ran through my body. Looking around me, I realized a faint fog had started to form, creeping against the earth and roots as it became thicker by the moment. Feeling a presence behind me, I turned in my heel, to notice the same black bird – honestly, I couldn't care less if it was a crow or a raven – perched on a nearby tree.

I let out a small gasp as I laid my eyes on it and almost screamed out when it flew out and towards me. I threw myself to my knees to avoid it colliding with my head and almost fell flat on my ass when I heard a low and seductive chuckle coming from somewhere behind me. I turned my head and found myself face to face – more like face to groin, but I'm not about to comment on _that_ – with the sexy man from The Grill.

"I knew you liked me, sweetheart, but there was no need for you to fall for me so fast," he said seductively, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively as he stretched out his hand. I took it with little hesitation and he pulled me to my feet, standing a little bit too close.

I took a slight step back, nervous about the closeness, but trying not to show it. "I fall for no one," I said defiantly, straightening to my full height, only an inch or so shorter than the guy's. "Much less for idiots who think that after a ten-word conversation I would jump at the chance of sex with a stranger."

The guy's smirk grew even wider as he stepped closer, but I refused to back up that time. He raised his hand and his fingers ghosted across the skin of my cheek, but I still refused to give him any indication that his actions were affecting me in any way. "You intrigue me, Cassie Gilbert."

I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew my name and, what was more, how on earth he managed to find me at a High School party in the middle of the forest, but a scream that pierced the silence caused me to snap my head hastily in that direction before I could utter any word. I had to find out what was going on, and I was about to excuse myself when I realized I was the only one standing in the clearing.

"Hello?" I called out to the darkness surrounding me. The fog had disappeared as well, but I couldn't bring myself to give it too much thought, as I recognized my siblings' voices among the yelling that had begun. I ran as fast as I could in my heels, my drunken stupor long gone and my mind clearer than ever. Soon, I was sprinting away from the tree line and towards a crowd of people surrounding a wooden table. I pushed people out of my way and noticed the girl lying there, bleeding out of her neck was someone I knew too well: Vicki Donovan. Elena, Tyler, Matt and Jeremy were all standing around them, trying to get her to open her eyes and screaming at people to call an ambulance. "Move!" I broke through the front row of people and carelessly shoved Jeremy away from the side of Vicki's head. Tearing a piece of her shirt, I pressed the cloth to the wound on her neck, trying to stop the bleeding, but not before I got a good look at the tooth-marks there. Vampire.

* * *

I stood next to my sister, deep in thought, as I watched Vicki being lifted onto the back of the ambulance, the party long over by then. We were both silent; lost inside our own minds as we both reminisced about the events of the night. I didn't want to believe it, especially not when Uncle John of all people had been the one to warn me about them, but I couldn't ignore the signs: the bird, the fog, the strange animal attacks and the sudden disappearances without a sound all pointed to the conclusion that my mystery guy was a blood-draining monster.

"Hey!" Bonnie's voice called, snapping me out of my thoughts and making Elena turn to face her best friends. "We're gonna go get some coffee. Wait for news."

"Yeah, I'll take Jeremy home," Elena told her, before turning towards me. "Are you coming?"

I nodded, and watched her walk away towards our distraught brother. I was about to follow her, but Bonnie stopped me. "Cassie," she said. I looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say. "There's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But, whatever I saw, or think I saw, I have this… feeling."

"Just spit it out, will you?" I asked, more worried about her words than I was willing to let on.

"That it's just the beginning," she finished. I nodded in acknowledgement at her words before following my sister towards Jeremy was finishing up a bottle of beer.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, rubbing Jeremy's shoulder in comfort. Being the punk with bad attitude that he was, though, he flinched away from her touch, not replying.

"Finish up your beer boy and get in the car," I told him, taking a gulp out of a water bottle I had found so I could sober up before driving the three of us home.

"You know, those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the police," Elena said with a small smile, trying to lighten up the situation. Jeremy, it seemed, was not in the mood for humor, as he gulped down the entire contents of the bottle before throwing it behind him. "People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try too."

I looked at Jeremy, whose face was filled with barely concealed sadness and my heart cracked a little, up until he opened his big mouth. "I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary," he told her, his voice soft, but his words cutting. "Is that – is that supposed to be you moving on?" Of course, he wasn't about to let me get away without having a go at me too. "And you, hooking up with every douche bag in town, throwing everything you've worked for away just because you're scared of letting people know you're in pain. How is that moving on?"

Elena looked at both of us: Jeremy clearly torn after hearing what Elena had to say and me with pursed lips and hard eyes. "Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this," she said softly, her dark eyes sad, but meaningful.

"Let's just get going," I said, not having it in me to take any more moments of openness. I started walking towards my car, with Elena and Jeremy following behind me and, even when I never turned to look, I just knew my sister was throwing me a disappointed look. I ignored her the whole ride home and continued doing so even as I climbed up the stairs and got ready for bed but, the whole time, I was mulling Jeremy's words in my head.

I was looking at my reflection in the mirror as I threw my hair into a ponytail when my eyes caught sight of my beautiful acoustic guitar standing against one of the corners of my room. Next to it, was the Fender electric guitar I'd worked over four years to be able to buy. I turned around and approached the two precious instruments, caressing the soft material with the utmost care. Jeremy was right… I did miss my music – terribly – and I knew I could've made a career out of it; maybe even got into Julliard or something. But I just couldn't bear the thought of singing something that reminded me of my parents and breaking down in front of a crowd.

I wanted to be the strong sibling: the one Elena and Jeremy could trust to keep it together whenever they decided to break down, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from collapsing if I allowed myself to stop for a second and just feel. I knew I was doing everything I could to keep myself busy so I wouldn't think about everything I had lost in such a short time spam. Music, whether I performed it myself or just listened to it on the radio, always had the effect of making me reflect on my own feelings, something I wanted to avoid at all cost.

I wanted people to think I was the strong member in our family – and most did – but in reality, it was Elena. She was the only one who was able to face her feelings – unlike me – without turning to drugs – like Jeremy – or work – Jenna – to distract her from the pain. I sighed, deciding I needed another glass of water if I didn't want to wake up with a hangover the following day.

Throwing on my black, silk robe and placing my slippers on my feet, I silently rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Seeing Jenna standing against the frame of the door leading to the living room and staring intently at something, I went to join her. Jeremy was sitting on the couch, a photograph of our parents held between his hands as his eyes took in every little detail of it.

I looked at Jenna, who had tears filling her eyes as she regarded her nephew with sad eyes. She gave me a pain-filled stare and threw one of her arms around my waist in a half-hug. I responded – though reluctantly – placing one of my own arms around her shoulders. "We're going to be fine," I assured her in a whisper, so as not to disturb Jeremy's moment of sadness. And, with the comfort of my family around me – as cheesy as that sounded – I really believed we would.

**A/N: Outfits for this chapter and any chapter that follows in my polyvore account! Link on my profile! Review please? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Night of the Comet

_Well, you sure as hell can't_ kill_ him,_ I thought to myself as, for the first time in a long time, I had the time to carefully brush through my hair and do my make up before classes. I hadn't slept as fitfully as I had the previous night ever since my parents had died, thoughts of vampires, 'animal attacks' and people drained of blood filled my mind. For the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to do; I didn't have a plan.

_Call Uncle John and tell him to get his vampire-hunting ass to Mystic Falls?_ Yeah, right, as if we needed him around after we'd finally somehow managed to start getting over every shitty thing that had been thrown at us in the past year. No, thanks.

_Confront him, tell him I know what he is and threaten to expose him if he doesn't get his murderer – but sexy – ass out of town?_ Too many flaws in that plan. Firstly, I didn't even know who the guy was, much less where I could locate him. Secondly, dear Uncle John didn't quite explain the vampire dynamics to me, just that they existed, they could make you do things just with a look and that you'd be pretty much safe from them if you didn't invite them to your home and had some vervain on you the whole time. So, every morning before breakfast, I made it a habit to drink down a small gulp of a bottle of water and vervain I stored in the depths of my closet. No, I hadn't believed Uncle John when he'd first told me about vampires, but he'd made me promise I would keep my eyes open and drink the foul tasting stuff. Anyway, I wasn't about to threaten someone who could potentially snap my neck with his little finger, thank you very much.

_Really expose him to someone like the Sheriff?_ Yeah, as if I wanted to be committed to an insane asylum at such a young age. _I may be hot, but no one – and I mean no one – looks good in a straight-jacket._

_Trust Hollywood, get a stake and go all Buffy on his possibly sparkly ass? (Please let vamps be different from Stephanie Meyer's version or I might as well kill myself now!) _Sure, and with complete certainty, I would end up dead before I could even say 'Twilight sucks!'

I would have to go with option number five: do nothing and pray to whoever is up there to finally give me a break and have this guy go away and never come back. Of course, I wouldn't completely ignore the situation; I would make sure no one invited any stranger inside – not that they usually did – and put some vervain in everyone's drinks whenever I had the chance. I would keep my eyes open and do whatever I could to watch over Elena, Jeremy and Jenna after sundown.

_At least the day is just beginning, even if that means I still have school to deal with,_ I thought, never happier for the early morning hour. I wanted the biggest time span between me and nighttime, scared for once in my life of what the dark could bring.

I applied the finishing touches of my burgundy lipstick and let out a deep sight, clearing my mind of anything and everything before giving my reflection one of my typical smirks. I wouldn't allow anyone, especially not my family to see I was feeling troubled over anything. So, with my usual confidence and nonchalance, I grabbed the satchel with my school stuff and walked out of my room.

In the hallway, I almost bumped into Elena, who was also coming out of her own bedroom. Not a moment later, we were joined by Aunt Jenna, who was dressed smartly in a blue dress and heels.

"Do I look adult?" she asked, stopping us as we went to walk down the stairs. "As in respectfully parental?"

"Depends on where you're going," Elena said, as we both critically examined her outfit.

"Jeremy's parent teacher conference," she sighed, before walking to stand in front of the mirror in front of the top of the stairs. "Hair up or down?"

"Do you want to be the dependable guardian or do you want to seduce Jeremy's teachers to get him to pass his classes?" I asked with a smirk and a suggestive wriggle of my eyebrows.

"In other words, sexy stewardess," Elena said while Jenna held her hair in an up-do, frowning mockingly as she let it down. "Boozy housewife."

"Up it is," Jenna declared, widening her eyes at Elena's way of expressing herself. She regarded her with as much of a surprised expression as I was doing. It wasn't completely uncommon for those kind of comments to be heard coming from me, but to hear something like that out of Elena's pretty little mouth was actually shocking. "You're feisty today."

"Maybe it has to do with a certain bo-oy," I said in a sing-song voice, lengthening the word and watching Elena blush slightly.

"I feel _good_, which is rare," she said, all smiles and sunshine, her eyes shining with amazement at the notion of actually feeling fine after such a long time. Her next playful words showed how big of a change she'd experienced over the past few days, seeing as my sister was _never_ in such a lighthearted mood. "So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on sunshine, and all that stuff." Her happy expression fell slightly, though, when she noticed Jeremy's room was empty. "Where's Jeremy?"

"I heard him leave early," I shrugged, having no idea where he could've gone. At that both my relatives looked at me with completely unbelieving expressions. "What? I have the ability to wake up early some days, thank you."

Jenna shrugged my words off, not paying them much mind, but Elena seemed worried and I knew she was remembering Bonnie's prediction the day before. "Yeah, he said something about getting to work shop early to finish a birdhouse." At Elena's and my raised-eyebrows, are-you-really-that-gullible expression, it seemed that Jenna's thoughts caught on with her words. "There is no work shop, is there?"

"No," Elena and I said simultaneously, shaking our heads as we looked at our guardian with worry.

"Yeah…" Jenna trailed off.

* * *

Elena's and Stefan's unabashed staring during history class was so obvious that even Tanner deemed it necessary to interrupt his lecture on the comet to demand their attention. By the end of the class, I felt as if I could've barfed if I had to endure another minute in the presence of such a lovey-dovey couple, so I made a quick bee-line for the door behind Bonnie and Caroline.

"Do you think you could use those witchy powers of yours to stop me from being sick all over Tanner's classroom every time Elena and Stefan make eyes at each other?" I asked Bonnie, using my hips to push Caroline and Bonnie away from each other so I could walk right in between them. "Seriously, those two are gag-worthy."

"Give her a break," Bonnie chastised, though she was smiling slightly. "She _likes_ him. And he sure seemed to have his eyes set on her."

"Changing the subject," Caroline, who didn't seem to be too happy with the current topic of conversation piped in. "I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?"

After Bonnie's 'coincidental' vision at the party, I was quite interested in finding out as much as I could about her descent and 'powers', so I made sure to listen attentively to whatever she said. "Technically, Grams says I'm a witch," Bonnie corrected. "My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something? Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor, so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so."

"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night," Caroline sighed, throwing her head back in exasperation.

"Guy?" I asked, not having heard about crazy, boyfriend-seeking Caroline meeting someone. "What guy?"

"A guy at The Grill," Caroline explained eager to share about her experience with as many people as possible. "He was so hot; like supermodel hot."

"I didn't see him, you did," Bonnie defended herself. "Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"I don't know, I was drunk," Caroline shrugged as an explanation.

"Hmm, so you see this really hot guy who's checking you out and you don't even ask for his name, how does that work?" I mused, playfully rubbing my chin, as if in deep thought. "You must be a stupid drunk."

Bonnie laughed, and Caroline, though she rolled her eyes, accepted my reasoning good-naturedly. As we walked out of the building, I was able to make out Jeremy's back walking away from two rattled girls and a fuming Tyler. I put two and two together and figured out they were having an argument about Vicki: the girl my brother had a crush on and who Tyler couldn't have cared less about. Thank God I wasn't Elena and didn't have the need to stick my nose in every fight that happened around me, because, if Tyler's sour face was any indication, Jeremy must've been positively irate.

"Hey, Cass, you still there?" Bonnie's voice sounded to my right. I turned, and nodded, motioning towards Jeremy's retreating body.

"Yeah, I'm just worried someday he'll get into more trouble that he can handle," I said, rubbing my tired eyes. "Provoking Tyler Lockwood of all people is never a good idea."

"Really, you're still defending that douche?" Caroline asked with raised brows. "After all he did to you I thought you'd be glad if someone knocked him down a few pegs."

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if Jeremy could get a few good punches in," I clarified, fishing my car keys out of my bag. "I'm just worried he'll get his ass handed to him."

Bonnie and Caroline shrugged noncommittally, not quite knowing what to say. To be fair, there wasn't much they could've said to calm down my concerns, seeing as I had witnessed my fair share of Tyler's fights every time another guy looked at my ass, my boobs, my eyes, or any part of my anatomy Tyler deemed inappropriate.

We waited for Elena to finish up her conversation with Matt – really, she should stop stringing the poor guy along, acting all concerned about his sister when I knew very well she thought as little of her as I did – and drove in my car to The Grill. For the whole drive there, Elena and I argued over the radio station while Bonnie and Caroline laughed at our bickering from the back seat. I won, of course; if my sister wanted to listen to that pop-crap she liked, she would have to start driving herself around town.

We sat at our usual table and ordered ourselves something to drink: while all three golden girls had something fruity and girly I was caught in between getting myself a coffee to avoid falling asleep from boredom because of their annoying chatting or bourbon so that I'd finally be able to somewhat enjoy their conversation. Seeing as Elena was bound to give me a lecture for even mentioning alcohol in front of her at such an early hour, I had to settle for the biggest, blackest mug of coffee money could buy at the grill, which still wasn't big enough to prevent me from dozing off as my sister babbled on and on about Stefan.

"Well, I was talking to Grams," Bonnie interrupted, seeing as I was simply going through the motions of folding banners while my eyes drooped dangerously low, "and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom." As much as the short, dark haired girl annoyed me sometimes – or most of the time, to be honest – I could've kissed her right then and there. "The last time it passed over Mystic Falls there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage it created a bed of paranormal activity."

Even with the looming threat of an unknown vampire roaming around Mystic Falls, I found I much preferred talking about such a gruesome topic instead of my sister's love life, but, naturally, Caroline couldn't get her fill of gossip, which sadly didn't include any astrological event.

"Yeah, and then you poured your Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens," she said, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice. I stifled a laugh at her words, remembering the reason I favored bitchy Caroline over St. Elena or bubbly Bonnie any day, even if she _did_ want to further broach the topic of my sister's relationship with Stefan Salvatore. I threw Bonnie an apologetic look, which she returned as soon as she saw me roll my eyes in exasperation at the words that fell from Caroline's mouth next. "So then what?"

"So then he mounted you in his noble white steed, took you to his castle and ravished you until the sun came out, the birds chirped and the scent of flowers floated through his open window?" I guessed.

"So then nothing," Elena corrected, with the customary glare thrown my way.

"Was the sex _that_ bad?" I teased, further annoying her.

"You and Stefan talked? All night?" Caroline asked, before my sister could start berating me. "There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy-feely of any kind?"

"Nope, we didn't go there," Elena replied smoothly.

"Not even a handshake?" Caroline pressed.

"Was his dick _that_ small?" I piped in. "You know, I had a feeling he was too ripped for him not to be on something. And you know what they say about steroids…"

"Cassie!" Elena gasped, aghast at my words, acting like a freaking nun.

"Elena!" I mocked, using the same tone she had, smirking as her face turned red in irritation. "No need to act like a blushing virgin when the whole school knows you were the slutty ho who corrupted and took poor Matty's innocence."

"Elena, we are your friends," Caroline interrupted, using her hand to cover my mouth as I was about to clarify I wasn't friends with _any_ of them. "You are supposed to share the smut."

"We just talked for hours," Elena shrugged as I slapped Caroline's hand away from my face.

"Okay, what is with the blockage?" Caroline practically shrieked, losing her patience at my sister's nonchalance. "Just jump his bones already! Okay, it's easy… Boy likes girl, girl likes boy: sex."

I let out a loud laugh at her bluntness while Bonnie and Elena both looked horrified at her phrasing. "That was _so _profound," I said in between chuckles, drying my teary eyes with the back of my hand.

Elena, however, seemed to be thinking deeply about Caroline's words and, even though previous experience dictated I should run the hell away whenever my sister gave any indication of an idea crossing her mind, I was too distracted to do anything other than peacefully sit there before it was too late. "Cassie, let's go. I need you to drive me somewhere," she said, picking up her school bag from the back of her chair. I grabbed my handbag as well, deciding it would be better for me if I didn't protest – not that it would do much good against Elena in stubborn mode.

"Sure Miss Gilbert," I said with a mocking bow towards my sister, but throwing a curious look at her. "May I ask where you wish to go this fine afternoon?"  
"Caroline's right: it is easy," she replied, standing up and glancing at her two besties. "If I sit here long enough I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was gonna do."

"So… the Salvatore Boarding House?" I asked, not in the mood to decipher my sister's words, which she probably took from a lame, self-help book anyway.

Throwing me a simple smile as a reply, Elena took my hand and started dragging me behind her towards my car, obviously ignoring the fact I was practically tripping in my high heels as she practically ran in her haste to get to her Prince Charming.

* * *

"Just hurry up, alright?" I said as I finished parking the car in the Boarding House's driveway.

I fully intended to lean back in my seat, put my feet on the dashboard and take a well deserved nap but, naturally, Elena had other plans. "What are you doing?" she practically screeched when she saw me rest the side of my face on the headrest looking for a comfortable position. "You can't let me go by myself!"

"Why the hell not?" I asked, confused and practically jumping in my seat in surprise at the volume in her voice. "It's not like you're going into a dark alley at night!"

"Come on, Cassie…" she pleaded, probably knowing her usual bossiness wouldn't work with me. "Just stay with me until I find Stefan and then you can leave. Please?"

"Ugh, you're so needy," I groaned in protest as I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door to get out of the car. She was practically grinning as she got out herself and closed her door, allowing me to lock the car and place the keys in my bag. "And don't look so cocky. You're buying me a drink tonight for this."

Elena just rolled her eyes, grabbed my hand and, once again, started dragging me down the path towards the front door, slowing down to take in the mansion's façade. She hesitated for only a moment as we stood on the threshold before pulling on some sort of rope to ring the bell.

"Impatient much?" I asked as she reached for the knocker without a full minute having passed since ringing the bell. She threw me a warning look at my words, which son turned into one of confusion when the door opened with a mere push from her. "You're going to get me arrested for breaking and entering."

"Wouldn't be the first time," she commented mindlessly as she cautiously entered through the front door with me trailing behind. The inside of the house was even richer than the outside suggested, lavishly decorated with antique, yet tasteful furniture. "Stefan?"

Seeing as Elena made no move to go further into the house – and considering I wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, something that wouldn't happen until my sister saw her beau – I decided to take matters into my own hands. "Steffie?" I hollered, grabbing my sister by the arm and pulling her behind me as I walked through the entrance hall. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"

"We shouldn't be doing this," Elena warned, looking around in slight anxiousness, fearful that someone would come out of the shadows and start yelling at us for just walking in.

"Like you said, I'm the experienced one, Miss Lane, and I say we'll be just fine as long as you get to talk to your Clark Kent and I get to go home and drink my weight in bourbon," I said, shrugging off her concerns, but stopping my rant when I heard the distinctive cracking of the front door.

"We _really_ shouldn't be doing this," Elena repeated as we both turned around to see if anyone was coming into the house. I was interrupted mid-sigh by a loud cawing sound, followed by a huge, black crow flying over our heads and into the foyer. I turned around with Elena standing behind me only to come face to face with the mystery guy from the Grill and the woods/possible psycho, vampire killer/someone I should be thankful to for almost ridding the world of slutty Vicki Donovan (okay, maybe I went overboard with the last one, but I _really_ hated that girl).

"Fuck!" I swore, resisting the urge to run away and put at least a few hundred miles between the guy and my sister. Inconspicuously, I angled my body so I was positioned protectively between Elena and the guy, in case anything happened.

"My room's upstairs, in case you're offering," the blue-eyed vamp boy said smoothly, doing some weird wriggling thing with his eyebrows.

"I'll pass," I practically sneered at him, reigning in my anger when Elena placed her hand on my shoulder, reminding me not to do anything stupid – like anger the possible vampire – when my sister was in harm's way.

"We're sorry for barging in," Elena was quick to apologize for us both. "The door was…" My sister turned around to point at the previously open door, but I kept my eyes locked on the stranger in front of me, just in case he made any sudden movement. "Open…"

I deduced from my sister's tone and the guy's smirk that the door being open wasn't the case anymore and I angrily clenched my fists when I noticed the mischievous glint that invaded the guy's icy eyes. My anger only escalated when I saw the guy's eyes move between my clasped fists and my glaring eyes before his smirk widened even more. "Nice to see you again, Cassie," he greeted with that sexy, smooth voice that probably had women dry-humping him all the time.

"You two know each other?" my sister's voice asked from behind me as her grip on my upper arm tightened.

"Only in passing," the guy replied, at the same time as I spat out a: 'No way in hell.' "You must be Elena." I wanted to smack myself in the face as my sister stepped from her position behind me to stand by my side as she regarded the guy with puzzled eyes. "I'm Damon; Stefan's brother."

My eyes widened in horror as I mentally went through all the information I had on Stefan Salvatore: his appearing out of nowhere to live with his 'uncle', his impressive knowledge of history – Mystic Falls history in particular – and his disappearing act during the party at the falls when Vicki was hurt and bleeding all over the place. The 'animal attacks' had only began a week or so ago: the moment Stefan Salvatore first stepped into town. I'd been convinced the mysterious guy I'd spotted at the Grill and in the forest – Damon Salvatore, apparently – was the vampire responsible for the attacks, but maybe Stefan was involved as well.

"He didn't tell me he had a brother," Elena's voice sounded next to me, snapping me out of my morose thoughts.

"Well, Stefan is not one to brag," Damon countered back – that annoying smirk still plastered on his face.

"Not much to brag about, I'd say," I added bitterly, taking a hold of my sister's arm. "Clearly Stefan's not here, so we should get going."

"You should stay," Damon said, stopping any movement I might've made by placing his hand on my lower back. "I'm sure Stefan will be here any second."

I gritted my teeth as Damon firmly guided me – and Elena, by extension – into the boarding house's living room, a magnificent and beautifully decorated room I might've actually admired hadn't I been in the company of a murdering vampire and my oblivious sister. "Wow, _this_ is your living room?" said sister questioned as she looked around in wonder. I didn't dare to look around much; instead, my eyes stayed fixed on Damon Salvatore with a fierce glare, which he noticed and smiled at.

"Living room, parlor, seventies auction," Damon listed off as if him living practically inside a museum was no big deal. Of course, that would probably be the case for someone who may have been alive long enough to make the antiques that crowded the room seem modern. "It's a little kitschy for my taste."

"Wonder why _that_ may be," I murmured between my teeth, the slight narrowing in Damon's eyes confirming my suspicions even further.

"I see why my brother's so smitten," Damon continued, pretending not to hear my snide comment and throwing my sister a sideway glance that made me wish for a wooden stake and a bottle of vervained water. "It's about time. For a while there I thought he might never get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"I don't think that's something you should be talking about so freely," I said coolly, cursing Damon Salvatore to the fiery pits of hell when I noticed Elena's downcast expression.

However, curiosity got the better of her and she proceeded to interrogate the guy who was clearly trying to undermine her trust in Stefan. "The last one?" she asked.

"Yeah… Katherine? His girlfriend?" Damon said, pretending to be none the wiser about Elena's lack of information. Elena shook her head, her expression a mixture of defeat and thoughtfulness. "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet."

"Clearly not, you douche," I muttered under my breath so that Elena wouldn't hear me and start scolding me for being impolite. Then, in a louder voice for my sister's benefit, I added, "I'm sure it would've come up sooner or later, Lena, don't sweat it."

It was very out of character for me to be so supportive and nice about relationships when my view of them had been pretty pessimistic ever since Tyler. However, there was something in Elena's expression – not to mention the barely concealed smugness in Damon's – that made me want to cheer her up about her prospects with Stefan. Even if the guy turned out to be a psychotic vampire murderer like his brother, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on account of him making my sister relatively happy – something I hadn't seen in her since the accident.

"Oops," Damon uttered, no regret whatsoever in his voice. "Well, I'm sure it'll come up now." _Something you were definitely counting on,_ I thought furiously, my anger spiking at his unaffected manner. "Or maybe he didn't tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end."

That was the last straw for me. I'm not ashamed to say I completely lost my cool and allowed my temper to control me. "That's enough," I said in a low, dangerous tone that was as chilling as the glare I was directing towards Damon. I think even the temperature in the room must've dropped a few degrees after my words. "Elena get to the car… Now." My sister had been about to argue, but it took only a look to let her know I was being serious. Like someone who had known me all my life and had experienced enough of my moodiness to be aware I shouldn't be contradicted when I got one of my tantrums, she silently took the keys I handed her and left the room without looking back.

I followed her retreating figure with my eyes before returning them to the figure of the asshole in front of me, who had his own eyes fixed on me and was regarding me with a look that was half-amusement, half-curiosity. Grey met blue and I was more than positive that, had Damon not been a vampire who could snap my neck with the flick of his pinkie, he would've been running for the hills.

"Well, that was intense," he commented with a whistle, turning around to pour himself a cup of bourbon from a small table filled with bottles before facing me once more with a glass on his hand. Without much thought on who – rather _what_ – exactly I was angering, I slapped the cup out of his hold, making it crash on the floor with a shrill noise of breaking glass. "What the hell?"

"What the fuck is your problem?" I seethed, shoving Damon Salvatore back and standing tall and unafraid when he took a step closer, so that we were practically nose to nose. "Why the hell would you say _any _of those things to my sister? _I_ may be a fatalist when it comes to relationships, but I _won't_ let you change the way she sees the world, even if it's too _nice_ and _naïve_ for me to stomach." I made a point to poke him in the chest to stress my words and I was proud to say I didn't even notice how hard and muscled his body was. "Put her down again or even come near her again and I will make you regret it."

"Do you have any idea of who you're threatening, little girl?" he asked mockingly. He not taking me seriously was what got me from anger to the point of total recklessness.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware there was a handbook on 'How to threaten vampires for beginners'," I spat out without thinking, being invaded by a smug feeling when Damon's eyes widened in shock. "Should I have brought some vervain or gone straight to staking to make my point?"  
Before I could even process what was going on, my back was pressed against a wall and Damon Salvatore's hand was around my neck, constricting and making it hard for me to breathe. "What do you know about vampires, little girl?" he asked in a calm tone that completely failed to hide his confusion.

"I should've known not to piss one off, so clearly not that much," I choked out, failing to pry his hand off my neck, but still somehow managing to give him my best irritating smirk to get back at him for all the comments he made when my sister was in the room.

"Clearly," Damon agreed, tightening his grip for a moment before letting go completely. My hand automatically went to my neck, attempting to rub off the soreness there and I winced slightly at the feeling a simple touch brought, knowing it would probably be bruised badly in a couple of hours. "Hello Stefan."

I had been too focused on the vampire chocking me to death – who could really blame me for that? – to notice the other Salvatore brother was standing behind Damon, his face a mask of confusion and anger. "Cassie?" he asked before blurring to my side and taking a protective stance between me and his brother. It was kind of a shock to see his sudden appearance next to me when he had been standing at the other end of the room barely a second before, but I figured I should take what was thrown at me in stride as I did with the rest of all the vampire crap. "What's going on here?"

"Just having a friendly chat with the lovely Miss Gilbert," Damon Salvatore said dismissively as he made his way towards the table holding all the bottles and poured himself a drink. "I also had the pleasure of meeting Cassie's sister, Elena. You know, it's quite selfish of you to keep the two beautiful ladies to yourself, brother."

"She's fine," I managed to rasp out when I caught Stefan's distressed look. I tightened my black scarf around my neck to make sure no marks were on display from Damon's attempt at strangling me. "I told her to wait for me in the car while I made sure your idiot brother knew not to harm a single hair on her head." The raven headed vampire winked and threw a kiss at me, to which I only glared. I then turned to Stephan, who was looking quite surprised at the display he had just witnessed. "Same goes for you, Steffie. If a single drop of blood goes missing from Elena's body, I'll make sure to shove a stake so far up your ass it'll come out of your mouth, got it?"

And, without even acknowledging the youngest Salvatore's flabbergasted expression after I spilled the beans about knowing of vampires' existence, I shot one last glower Damon's way and strutted out of the house the same way I'd come in. "Great gal… she's got spunk," I heard the devil's voice say before I shut the door behind me and walked up to my car.

"What took you so long?" Elena started the interrogation as soon as I got into the driver's seat.

"Just getting to know my future brother-in-law's brother," I lied breezily before speeding away from the Salvatore Boarding house.

* * *

"Mother fucking, stupid, arrogant, ass hole, dick…" The string of curses continued as I checked my bruised neck in the misty bathroom mirror after taking a much needed shower. I was certain I'd have to go through the entirety of my concealer to hide the hand-shaped darkening around my throat and I certainly wasn't too happy about it. "I'm gonna stake that son of a bitch!"

Frustrated, I exited my bathroom and started going through the contents of my drawers, hastily throwing on the pajama pants and the sports bra I usually slept in while looking for a sweatshirt that would cover the evidence of my most recent stupidity from my family's prying eyes. Finally, I settled on an old, ratty turtleneck sweater before checking myself in the mirror once more to make sure no bruise was shown.

"He's on the rebound and has raging family issues," was the first thing I heard as I trampled down the stairs.

"At least it's an ex-girlfriend," Jenna said comfortingly as I stepped into the kitchen.

"It could've been an ex-boyfriend," I teased, drawing a laugh from both my sister and my aunt as they prepared some sundaes.

"Wait 'till you date a guy with mummy issues," Jenna warned.

"Or daddy issues," I added, thinking of Tyler.

"Or cheating issues."

"Or anger issues."

"Or amphetamine issues," Jenna finished with a wicked smirk which freaked Elena out. I let out a snort and high-fived my aunt before taking the ice cream my sister was handing me with an excited smile.

"I think it's weird how happy you two seem to be about your failed relationships," Elena commented with a furrowed brow.

"Ehh, breakups suck, but the silver lining is that they can at least be used as a bonding experience," I shrugged noncommittally. I heard the door open and close behind me and Jenna was quick to run after Jeremy and give him an ear-full. "Beats the hell out of having to deal with a pesky little brother, huh?"

* * *

"Bourbon, straight up," I ordered, flashing my fake ID and a sexy smile at the bartender. _Courtesy of Elena_, I mentally added as I slapped a twenty on the counter and took a seat at the bar. I shot down the drink as soon as it was placed in front of me, not even wincing at the burning sensation that ran down my throat. I was in serious need of some alcohol if I was going to be forced to stay for the comet, light candles and sing Kumbaya holding hands with the rest of the townspeople.

"Sexy…" a smooth voice I instantly recognized trailed off in my ear, the warm breath washing over me. As soon as I felt a hand settle on my hip, I rammed the toothpick I had been playing with hard into said wandering limb. "Fuck!"

I turned around, ignoring the still whining Damon Salvatore, grabbed my bag and got up from my seat, my drinking time completely ruined. As I was walking out of the Grill, I was rummaging inside my bag, glad I'd had the foresight of coming prepared for anything. I was therefore not at all shocked to feel something grab me around the waist, dragging me towards a side-alley before my back made contact with a cold, brick wall. However, my friendly vampire neighbor did seem quite surprised when I pulled the vervain-laced mace out of my bag and sprayed it all over his face, watching with sick satisfaction as a sizzling sound was made and the dark haired male screamed out in pain, covering his face with both hands.

"That was for choking me and this," I gave a swift, yet strong kick to his groin, "is for future reference."

Leaving a cursing and bent over vampire in the dark alley was oddly fulfilling, though I made a mental note to never go out without a weapon, knowing Damon was bound to be seeking revenge after the little stunt I pulled on him. Still, I couldn't hide the wide, mischievous grin that split my face in two, even as I was walking through the candle-holding crowd looking for any familiar face. I finally found and joined the little group consisting of Elena, Bonnie and Caroline and, as I adamantly refused to grab the candle Caroline had picked up for me, I failed to notice my sister's candle being lit up by her ex boy-toy and her lighting up the candle of her new boy-toy. What I _did_ notice, however, was the built arm that suddenly wrapped around my waist.

"Hey gorgeous," another familiar voice, which thankfully belonged to a _human_ douche bag, whispered in my ear. Tyler's lips grazed my earlobe, certainly in some sort of seduction attempt, which was doomed to fail for obvious reasons.

"Bye idiot," I countered, stepping out of his hold and going to stand next to my new bodyguard, Matt. "I really don't get how someone as sweet as you can be friends with a guy like him."

"You and me both," the blond jock agreed, placing a brotherly arm around my shoulders.

As soon as Elena joined us again, the six of us decided to go to The Grill for drinks instead of standing outside in the cold, dark park. I was having a good time talking to Caroline and completely ignoring Tyler's attempts at flirting but, as always, my good mood wasn't meant to last.

"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Ugh, just the sound of that slut's name made me want to puke my drink all over Bonnie's good girl dress.

"You're her stalker, you tell us," Tyler said, trying – and failing – to get on my good books by showing how little he cared about his fuck buddy.

"I can't find her!" Jeremy complained loudly, glaring daggers at my ex.

"She's likely to be lying on a ditch somewhere, stoned out of her ass, as per usual," I commented off-handedly. "I'm sure she'll pop back up as soon as her high goes away."

"Or she probably found somebody else to party with," Tyler added, throwing me a smile which I didn't return. "Sorry pill-pusher, I guess you've been replaced."

"What's with the 'pill-pusher'?" Elena was quick to ask. Of course, she was the kind of girl to ask first kill later, while I was the exact opposite.

"What the hell, Cassie?!" Jeremy screeched as I stood up and started hitting him with my purse.

"You – complete – idiot!" I yelled, highlighting each of my words with a hit. "You're – fucking – dealing – now?!"

"She's never gonna go for you," Tyler added smugly with a smirk I wanted to slap out of his face in my fury-induced state.

Jeremy finally managed to snatch the bag out of my hands and hold it out of my reach, in case I wanted to start hitting him again. "She already did!" he proclaimed in triumph. "Over and over and over again."

"Yeah right," Tyler scoffed in disbelief.

"Gross," I practically gagged, my words mirroring Matt's disgusted expression.

"_You_ slept with Vicki Donovan?" Caroline asked in a tone that was clearly questioning Jeremy's mental health more than anything else. "I mean – Vicki Donovan slept with _you_?"

"There's no way," Tyler said with certainty.

"Hard to believe a girl would sleep with you without you trying to force her, Lockwood?" Jeremy fumed, throwing a meaningful look my way. I cringed as Elena's eyes narrowed in anger – I could practically feel the heat emanating from her even at a distance.

"You did _what_?!" she said in such a high pitched voice I'm sure my eardrums would never stop ringing.

"How can you be so surprised at him reaching a whole new level of ass-holiness?" I asked her, quite surprised by her protective outburst.

"You know, I still haven't kicked your ass for that one, but now's as good a time as any, no?" Jer added, already rolling up his sleeves as Tyler stood up and headed his way.

"As much as I love being the cause of a good fight," I began as I placed myself between the two, broader guys (and slightly taller, in Jeremy's case), "I'm not really in the mood for a night in jail, so how about we go out and search for the missing slut and we leave this for another time?"

"I'll check the bathroom," Bonnie was quick to agree, obviously uncomfortable with the thought of a fight breaking out in the middle of the restaurant.

"I'll check the square," Matt added, throwing an appreciative look my way. He was such a nice guy he wasn't even pissed at me for constantly insulting his sister. He knew that what she did was wrong and he thought I had the right to be angry at her for coming onto my boyfriend during my parents' funeral. I really couldn't understand why Elena broke up with him.

"I'll go with you," Jeremy offered, but I took a hold of his arm to stop him mid-step.

"Oh no, mister, you've got a lecture scheduled with grumpy pants over there," I said, pushing him towards the place Elena was standing with a dangerous look in her eyes. "I'll help out Matty."

I followed the blond out of the room, furrowing into the warmth of my leather jacket instinctively as soon as my exposed skin made contact with the chilly night air. "I know you don't really like Vicki, so I really appreciate you helping me look for her," Matt said chivalrously.

"You're one of the few people in this town who don't annoy me too much, so of course I'll help _you_ out," I shrugged, smiling softly at Matt's gratefulness, even when he was so concerned for his sister. "We should split up. Cover more ground and all that she-bang."

"Good idea," he approved as he turned right and I kept walking ahead, a specific destination in mind as I caught sight of the youngest Salvatore brother.

"Cassie, how are – ?"

"Cut the crap," I interrupted brusquely. "Vicki Donovan has gone missing and, considering your brother was probably the one to take a bite out of her the other day, I'm sure he has something to do with it. As much as it pains me to say this, we have to find them and make sure she's okay, so why don't you use your weird vampire-sense thingies and tell me where the hell they are."

"How did you – ?"

"Know about vampires?" I finished, to which he merely nodded. "Long story, no time. Maybe another day. Now, go on and help me find your psycho brother and his future possible victim."

His brow furrowed even further than usual at my words, but he closed his eyes and an expression of concentration – which certainly looked as if he was constipated – appeared on his face. Without a warning, he started walking away purposefully while I practically ran after him, trying to keep up with his longer strides. He led me away from the crowd gathered in the city square, and the thought that I was walking in the dark alone with a bloodthirsty monster surprisingly didn't even once cross my mind. I didn't know what it was, but there was something about Stefan Salvatore that made it impossible for me not to trust him.

"Stay here," he said once we reached an empty street surrounded by tall buildings. I noticed his eyes were focused on something above us and, following his gaze, I was greeted by the scene of a freaked out Vicki being held by the edge of the building by a Damon who, judging by his tone, was clearly enjoying himself.

Of course, I wasn't about to stay away from the fight, so I trailed Stefan as he approached the building, even though I wasn't fast enough to keep up with his vampire blurring thingie. "I'm definitely going to start working out," I muttered to myself as I panted my way up the outside stairs at the side of the building until I finally reached the roof. Even though Vicki was on the floor at Stefan's feet and the two brothers were having a glaring contest, three sets of eyes turned simultaneously in my direction as I leaned my weight on my knees and gasped for air. "Go on, I'm just catching my breath over here."

"What's happening?" Vicki sobbed pathetically, crawling on all-fours like a scared little girl – which I guessed she was.

"I don't need her to be dead," Damon said as he jumped off the ledge and got closer to where his brother and Vicki were standing. "But you might."

"As much as I'd love to be rid of little miss slut over there," I finally managed to speak as I straightened up and stood to Stefan's other side, "I can't let you kill her."

"Not much you can do against a vampire, sweetheart," the leather-clad ass-hole smirked provocatively. He quickly corrected himself, though, when he saw me pull out my vervain-laced mace out of my bag: "Two vampires."

"Stefan's not on your side, buddy," I told him, returning his smirk.

"Oh, really?" he teased before focusing his attention back on Vicki. "What attacked you the other night?"

"I don't know… an animal," she replied, though with less conviction than was needed.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Leave her out of it, Salvatore," I warned, though I was ignored, of course.

"Think. Think about it; really hard," he continued, kneeling so he could be eye level with the crying girl. Vicki was no longer cowering away from the older vampire, but she seemed to be thinking pretty hard about something; at least, as hard as someone without a brain could think. "What attacked you?"  
"Vampire," she finally concluded, glaring at Damon with defiance.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded in a loud voice that only got him a louder reply from the teenage girl.

"You did!" she claimed, not backing away.

"Wrong," Damon said with a serious expression that didn't match the evil glint in his eyes.

"Don't," his brother warned him.

"Stefan," he corrected before grabbing Vicki by the arm and pulling her to her feet.

"Leave her alone," I insisted, taking a menacing step towards him but being stopped by Stefan's hand on my arm, pulling me back and behind him.

"Stefan Salvatore did this to you," Damon said with conviction as he looked Vicki right in the eye.

"Stefan Salvatore did this to me," she repeated like a mindless zombie. I gasped, finally realizing what he was doing, something Uncle John had warned me about, but I hadn't even remembered until that moment; he was compelling her – forcing her to do whatever he told her and to believe whatever he wanted her to.

"He's a vampire," he continued mercilessly. "A vicious murderous monster."

"Please," Stefan begged. "Damon, don't. Please don't do this."

"You couldn't fix her before," he taunted, stepping away from the confused girl. "I don't know what you're gonna do now."  
"How about we start off by driving a stake into your heart?" I suggested in fury, still being kept away by Stefan's restraining arms.

"That might be a good idea," Damon said, as if he was really thinking it over. "But I have a better one." And then, he ripped off Vicki's bandage, exposing the still open and bleeding wound on her neck. With a push, he threw Vicki into Stephan's arms, and I took my chance to step away from both vampires, studying the scene carefully to decide what my next move should be. "Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the kind of power that you could have… that you now need!"

"Stefan, don't," I warned as I took notice of the black veins spreading around his eyes as the hunger took over him.

"You can change that," Damon pressed on with a fake, brotherly smile. "Human blood gives you that."

"No, no, no," Vicki was sobbing like a broken record, before Stefan gathered some self-control and threw her away from him, onto the floor. I immediately was by her side, helping her stand up and positioning myself between her and the two blood-crazed monsters in front of us.

"You have two choices," Damon said, standing next to his brother, who was doubled over and panting for breath, much like I had been a few moments before after running up five stories. "You can feed and make her forget or you can let her run screaming 'vampire' to the town square."

"That's what this is about?" Stefan asked in between deep breaths. "You want to expose me?"

"No, I want you to remember who you are!" Damon claimed passionately. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the two rowing vampires, I slowly, but purposefully, started to push Vicki in the direction of the stairs that led off the roof and into the streets where we could make a run for it and be surrounded by other people in no time.

"Why?" Stefan asked angrily while I kept one eye on both brothers and the other on my goal that was no more than ten feet away. "So what? So I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again?"

My eyebrows raised up at that comment and, behind me, Vicki let out a frightened yelp. It was a soft sound, but yet it seemed to be loud enough to get Damon's attention. In less than a second, he was menacingly standing over us, looking down at his closest target (aka me) with a predatory grin.

"And where do you think you're going?" he made a move to grab my arm but, out of thin air, Stefan appeared before me, seizing his brother's forearm before he could even touch me.

"Let them go," he suggested, clearly pushing his brother's buttons. "Let them tell everyone that vampires are back in Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up and let them drive a stake through my heart. Because at least I'll be free of you."

I wasn't about to open my mouth and ruin Stefan's attempt to bait his brother, but, even though I wasn't too happy about either Salvatore brother at the moment, I wasn't about to let anyone know about Stefan, much less if they intended to harm him. Even when he clearly thirsted for blood, the youngest brother had still pushed a bleeding Vicki Donovan away from him to protect her, something that proved he wasn't thinking about harming anyone in town.

Seeing that his brother wasn't about to back down and feed from Vicki, Damon let out a small laugh, pushing Stefan and I out of the way to get to the youngest girl. "No, no," she pleaded tearfully.

"It's okay," Damon soothed falsely, glancing over Stefan and I, who were carefully regarding him. He smiled dangerously before leaning down to whisper something inaudible into Vicki's ear who, after a moment, stopped crying and started breathing normally as a completely calm person. He then stood up and walked away from her, his hands raised up, signaling he wasn't about to hurt her again that night.

"What happened?" Vicki asked after a moment, looking around in confusion. "Where am I?" Stefan and I looked at each other in disbelief, neither of us trusting that Damon would just give up and help his brother without asking for anything in return. "Ugh, I ripped my stitches open."

"You okay?" Stefan asked, keeping his distance from the still bleeding girl.

"I took some pills, man," she said with a dopey smile.

I rolled my eyes at that, moving away from Stefan to help the younger girl stand. "She's fine," I replied for her, having been around a drugged up Vicki Donovan enough times to know she'd be as good as new in the morning after a good night's sleep. "Let's go."

"You're not going to be a problem, are you?" Damon's voice asked behind me as I led Vicki out of the roof.

"Are you?" I countered back, not even sparing a glance towards him as I went down the stairs, making sure a stumbling Vicki didn't trip and fall down. "Come on, I'll take you back to your brother."

Once we reached the ground, I started pulling the half-drugged girl in the direction of the Grill, where I knew the Scooby-Doo gang would be gathered. I ignored Vicki's huffing and puffing as she complained the whole way there and, once we entered the bar, I was more than happy to hand the slut over to a worried Matt.

Elena and Jeremy weren't around, and, seeing as I was not in the mood to join Caroline and Bonnie when I was so tired, I decided to stand a few steps away from Matt as he patched up his sister before I headed back home. As Matt finished placing a clean bandage on his sister's neck, I felt a familiar presence to my left, and I didn't even need to look to know it was Stefan standing next to me. We both stood in silence, watching the interaction between the siblings until Matt noticed us and came over.

"She said you two found her wandering around," he said, his blue eyes darting between the two of us.

"Yeah," Stefan agreed while I simply nodded.

"So… thanks," Matt finally managed to choke out, even though I could tell he still didn't quite like Stefan. He simply nodded once in acknowledgement of his words. Matt threw a smile my way before returning to his sister's side and leaving me alone with Stefan.

"You really aren't going to say anything?" Stefan asked in a low voice and without even making eye-contact.

"Really," I confirmed, but I could still see a disbelieving look on his face. "Look, Steffie, I'm not going to meddle in your life – or even in your relationship with my sister – as long as you promise me that no one will die." He finally looked my way, his dark green eyes meeting my silvery grey ones and nodding slowly, in a reassuring way. "Great! Now that that's out of the way, I'm sure Elena's still awake, tossing in bed and thinking about you, so why don't you do the both of us a favor and go talk to her?"

"How would that be a favor to you?" Stefan asked with a small smile, watching as I rummaged around my purse, looking for my car keys so I could go back home.

"Oh, trust me, you've only seen the nice side of my sister," I told him, half-seriously. "Dealing with a sleep-deprived and scorned Elena tomorrow morning would be the worst possible start of the day for me, so I'd appreciate it if you saved me from her PMS-ing."

He chuckled, amusement clear on his face as he followed me out of the Grill and into the parking lot. "I think that's the least I can do after what happened today," he conceded, as if he was doing me a great favor.

"Please, don't act as if you weren't already thinking about it," I urged him, pressing the little button in my keys that unlocked the car. "Need a ride?"

"Sure," he accepted, getting into the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt as I sped away from the town square.

Just as I was pulling into the driveway, I caught sight of Elena striding out of the house purposefully. "I need you to give me a ride somewhere," she said as soon as she saw me climb out of the car.

"I'm a step ahead of you already, big sis," I smirked, watching as her brown eyes widened the moment she saw Stefan stepping out of the passenger seat. Seeing the two love-struck fools just staring at each other – gag worthy if you ask me – I picked up my purse and walked towards the house, sauntering past Elena in my way there. "You're welcome by the way."

"Thanks," she said in a small whisper, her gaze still fixed on the youngest Salvatore brother.

"No biggie," I shrugged. "Use protection kiddies!" I sprinted away, closing the door with a bang behind me as I entered the house, laughing all the way at Elena's outraged shriek. "Man, I'm a great match-maker."

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows! Keep them coming! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one! Outfits in my Polyvore account! xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Friday Night Bites

"God, I hate running," I said for what seemed like the twentieth time that morning once I finally reached the porch of my house.

I'd kept the promise I'd made to myself the previous night and I'd miraculously woken up at dawn to take a one-hour run before school. Furthermore, deciding I wouldn't depend on a can of mace and a plant to keep me safe for the rest of my life, I'd been thinking about stepping over the local gym after school and sign up for some self-defense classes. Not like I would be able to stop a vampire with my two bare hands, but at least I'd stop feeling so helpless all the time.

Hearing the rushing footsteps of my family members inside the house was a clear sign that I had to hurry to make it in time for school. I had the fastest shower of my life and put on the first outfit I could get my hands on, but, even so, I still had to skip my morning cup of coffee to get Jeremy to school at an appropriate time according to perfect-attendance Elena. All in all, I came to the sad conclusion I would have to get up even earlier if I wanted to continue my runs and still be able to look presentable for school.

After warning my brother against dealing drugs – 'unless you want me to kick your scrawny ass into next year' were my exact words – I got out of my car and searched the school park for someone I would be remotely interested in talking to. Failing in that specific task, I settled for the next best thing, which was to actually join the two dark-haired thirds of the Harry Potter worthy trio (the blonde third was mysteriously absent) and try not to puke as my sister gushed over the details of her romantic – and non-sexual – night with Stefan.

"What's up?" I asked as I reached the two shorter girls.

"That's exactly what I've been wondering myself," Elena said, throwing a pointed look Bonnie's way.

"Trouble in paradise?" I jabbed, easily dodging my sister's elbow to the ribs. "That's abuse, you know?"

"Nothing is up," Bonnie said defensively. "I'm just saying you should take it slow. You're single for the first time in your entire high-school career; it's the perfect time to play the field."

I let out a loud snort at the thought of my sister 'playing the field', as Bonnie so originally put it. "That's nuts," was all I had to say about that idea.

"Hate to agree with Cassie over you, but she's right, Bonnie," Elena said, surprising the heck out of me. Never thought I'd see the day… "I'm not that girl." Damn right she wasn't. "Seriously, what are you not saying?"

"Yeah, Elena could definitely do worse than Mr. Broody-pants," I said. _Even if he is a vampire who wants to suck people dry._

"It's stupid," Bonnie said dismissively.

"Shorty, I wouldn't expect anything you had to say to be anywhere near smart," I commented, earning glares from both best friends. "Alright, I'm shutting up now."

"Spit it out," Elena commanded, grabbing Bonnie's arm and making the three of us stop walking as we stood next to a tree.

"I accidentally touched Stefan," Bonnie began – _This sounds promising,_ I thought wickedly – "and I had a really bad feeling?"

"That's it?" I voiced my inner thoughts, surprised at the sheer stupidity my sister's friends were capable of. "I thought you were going to say you touched his crotch and there wasn't too much going on down there, if you know what I mean." The dark-skinned girl rolled her eyes and started walking away, stopped only by Elena's hand on her arm.

"Bonnie?" she prompted.

"It was _bad_, bad," Bonnie added.

"Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?" Elena asked teasingly and I smiled, glad my sister wasn't taking her friend's words seriously, even though I knew for a fact her concerns weren't completely unfounded.

"You know what? I'm just concerned," Bonnie summed up quite nicely. "This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend."

"And I love you for it," Elena gushed, acting as if she was talking to a little girl.

"And this is my cue to get the hell away from you two before the cheese starts pouring out of my pores," I drawled sarcastically, flicking my hair back bitchily and turning around. "Catch you two lesbian lovers later!" Gosh, school hadn't even started yet and I was already bored out of my mind by the thought that I would have to spend the next hours of my life stuck inside that horrible building. I sighed, my mind deeply troubled as my eyes went between the school building and the little, yet fast, car parked in the parking lot. I could feel the grin spreading across my face, my mind finally made up. "Skipping it is."

Making sure Elena wasn't around to nag me to death if she caught me making a run for it, I practically sprinted away from the school and towards my car. I think I would've jumped through the window in my haste had it been open, but seeing it wasn't I was forced to fish my keys out of my purse and open the door like a normal human being. Once I was seated (and strapped, of course) my feet practically floored the pedal as I sped out of the parking lot.

I turned on the radio and sang loudly to any and all song that came on, purposefully ignoring the vibrating noise that came from my bag on the passenger seat. I was more than certain that my phone would have about a million missed calls from my sister and whoever she would enlist to help her bother me, but I was so relieved to be free of school, classes and general teenage stupidity for at least a day that I couldn't care less about the lecture I would get when I returned home.

I wasn't even thinking about where I was going, just moving through the motions of driving through the all-too familiar town as in a daze, but when my eyes swept over a dark little store, I suddenly knew what I would be doing while school was in session, until cheerleading practice began. I parallel parked with ease, grabbed my purse and stepped out of my car, my impressively high heels clicking against the pavement as I approached the front door of the tattoo parlor.

A small bell rang throughout the small space the moment the door opened and a familiar voice called out from the back. "Angus, I swear if that's you I'll rip your fucking balls off and I'll – Cassie!" A short, black-haired woman in her early to mid twenties came into sight, chocolate eyes wide as she finally saw me. She practically sprinted around the front desk as she held out her tattoo-covered arms wide open for a hug, which I gladly gave. "I haven't seen you in weeks, bitch. Where the hell have you been?"

"School started, Ang," I shrugged nonchalantly as our embrace broke and I looked down at the shorter woman. "And it's not like I can skip every single day, even though I want to."

Angel Carter was an energetic, sarcastic and unstable bitch – much like I was – maybe the reason the two of us got along so well from the moment we first met in the beginning of the summer. I'd visited Angel's tattoo parlor to get my first tattoo and she, being the hardcore tattoo artist she was and being practically covered in ink herself, chose to mock my decision of getting a small star on the inside of my wrist, thinking I was one of the usual, girlie sluts who got one of those to try to look bad-ass. Unfortunately for her, that little star had a lot of meaning to me, reminding me of the time when my grandfather had passed away when I was five and my mum had told me he had gone to live in a star and that he was looking down upon me from the sky. I had chosen to get one tattooed to remind myself that, dead or not, my parents and all my loved ones who had died would always be with me, and having a short, small tattoo artist mocking my choice didn't sit well with me at all. Harsh words and quite a few curses were exchanged as she pierced my skin with needles for about a half-hour and, by the time she was finished, we'd already made plans to have drinks once she closed the store. We'd been friends ever since.

"Sure you can!" she said with a laugh and a wink. "I did!"

"And you're definitely a poster child for what a teenager should do, aren't you?" I teased, smirking as Angel shoved me before clutching her chest in mock hurt.

"That definitely stung, bitch!" she pouted, acting like a spoiled, whiny teenager.

"Aww, don't worry, Ang. You know you'll always be my role model," I said, only half-teasing. Truth was, I admired Angel for being a strong, independent woman after being raised in a rich, controlling family and having her parents practically disown her when she told them she wouldn't follow in their footsteps and study Law like they wanted her to. Not that I would ever want to become a tattoo artist, given that I didn't have an artsy bone in my body, but the attitude was admirable. "Anyway, there's a reason I came here, besides checking up on my dear friend, of course."

"And what may that be?" Ang asked suspiciously, narrowing her dark eyes at me.

"I was thinking of getting a new tattoo and I thought, who would be the best person to go to? And, naturally, you popped into my head immediately," I said dramatically, though Angel didn't look too impressed with my little speech.

"Uh huh," she muttered, unconvinced. "So you were driving by and you impulsively decided you wanted to get a permanent drawing etched into your skin, right?"

Gosh, she knew me so well… "Yeah, basically," I admitted.

"Well, my favorite kinds of decisions are the impulsive ones, so what the hell?" she shrugged, motioning me towards the back of the store. "Let's get started."

* * *

Two hours, 50 bucks and a bit of pain later, I was on my way back to school with a brand new tattoo that was a half-butterfly but had one of its wings made out of words that said 'I'm a walking travesty but I'm smiling at everything'. Angel had proudly presented it to me as the sketch she had been working on before I stepped through the front door and, believing it was fate or some stupid shit like that, I'd decided to get it done.

Being late for practice and not in the mood to find myself confined to a small locker room with a possibly fuming Elena, I was quick to strip off my school clothes inside my car and hastily throw on the outfit I'd used for my run that morning. Making sure my sports bra was covering everything that needed to be covered, I got out of the car and made my way towards the chattering group of girls stretching at the side of the football field, instantly spotting Bonnie among the rest of the giggling squad.

However, it seemed as if I wasn't the only one headed for the dark-skinned girl, as my sister appeared behind her, neither of them noticing me as Bonnie happily jumped to her feet and hugged the life out of Elena. "Oh my God, you're here!" she squealed.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" I asked, making my presence known as both girls stepped out of their hug. I noticed Elena was about to open her mouth, probably about to spew some great little speech about responsibilities and blah, blah, blah, but I beat her to it. "Yeah, yeah, I skipped, I'm a bad girl and I should take school more seriously. I know it, you know it and Bonnie knows it as well, so do me a favor and don't make me listen to something I already know by heart."

I smiled and dropped down into a split as my sister glared at me but kept her mouth shut before addressing Bonnie. "I'm here. I can't be sad girl forever," she said with certainty. "The only way to get things back to the way they were is to do things that were."

"Even if that means jumping about in a slutty skirt like a daft bimbo and cheering on the worst team that ever existed," I finished, shifting my position as Elena joined me on the grass and began to stretch herself.

"Even then," she agreed with a smile before looking up to Bonnie. "Oh and you're coming to dinner tonight."

"I am?" she asked with a smile.

"She is?" I asked with a groan, earning a slap to each of my arms from both girls sitting next to me.

"Uh huh," Elena nodded. "You, me, Cass and Stefan." Bonnie's smile was instantly replaced with an expression of distaste, which Elena noticed and was quick to scold her about. "You have to give him a chance!"

"Tonight's no good," she quickly excused herself.

"Unlike two seconds ago," I piped in, smiling innocently at the subtle glare Bonnie threw my way.

Elena also called her out on her sudden change of availability, tilting her head to the side and giving her best friend an unimpressed look. "Have you seen Caroline?" Bonnie asked, quick to change the subject. "I texted her like a hundred times."

"She didn't show up for school today?" I asked, slightly concerned about my blonde friend.

"No, she didn't. Something you would know if _you_ had shown up yourself," Elena said, not wasting an opportunity to throw in a jab at me. "Anyway, don't change the subject Bonnie Bennett. You're going to be there."

"Fine!" Bonnie finally agreed, clearly unhappy about the situation. "I'll go."

"Good," Elena smiled, throwing me a clearly satisfied look which fell immediately when she noticed the bloodied bandage on my shoulder. "And what happened to you?"

"Uh…" I muttered, trying to think of something that would get me out of a half-hour lecture on the evils of tattoos. "I fell on a dumpster and got stabbed by a few hundred needles?"

"You got another tattoo, huh?" Bonnie asked with a smile, laughing at Elena's pissed off expression.

"That's another way to put it," I conceded, throwing a 'Save me!' look at Bonnie when I noticed Elena was about to open her mouth again.

"Seriously, where is Caroline?" the dark-haired girl asked, diverting my sister's attention for a while longer.

"I don't know… it's not like her," Elena said, concern evident on her face.

"She's never late for practice," I supplied, starting to get quite worried myself. I reached for my purse and took out my phone, dialing Caroline's number. "I'll try her."

"No need for that," Bonnie said, pointing to something behind me. I turned my head, catching a glimpse of a vintage, blue car pulling into the parking lot with a black-haired vampire and my blonde, ditzy friend sitting in the front seats. "My God. That must be the mystery guy from the Grill." I internally shuddered as Caroline leaned towards Damon and planted a kiss on his mouth, the quick gesture turning into a steamy make-out session in a matter of seconds.

"That's not a mystery guy," Elena corrected.

"That's Damon Salvatore," I finished, getting up and standing besides my sister and Bonnie as we watched Caroline get down from the vehicle.

"Salvatore?" Bonnie gasped out in surprise. "As in Stefan?"

"If you mean as in Stefan's psycho, ass of a brother then yeah, as in Stefan," I confirmed, openly glaring at the raven-haired vampire when I noticed him looking at me over his aviator sunglasses. My anger only intensified when I took notice of the scarf covering Caroline's neck, probably hiding a fresh bite mark from sight.

"I got the other brother," the blonde said in a sing-song voice as she confidently strutted towards us. "Hope you don't mind. Sorry I'm late girls. I was, ehh… busy."

"And clearly she wants everyone to know she got laid," I muttered under my breath, irritated at my friend's superior attitude.

"Alright, let's start with the double pike, perky hurdler, what do you say?" I tuned Caroline's voice out as I caught sight of Damon Salvatore smugly smirking at me from his car, raising an eyebrow and clearly challenging me to do something about it.

I stepped away from the rest of the group and walked until I was leaning on the side of his car, frowning at the way his blue eyes roamed over the exposed skin of my stomach and legs. To any human looking our way, it would seem as if the eldest Salvatore and I were having a friendly conversation, but one look in my frosty eyes would say otherwise.

"Cassandra Gilbert, I must say you are a vision," he greeted me with a slimy smile.

"Save it," I spat furiously. "I want you to stay the hell away from Caroline, or else –"

"Or else what?" he asked pleasantly, knowing there was nothing I could threaten him with that wouldn't end with my neck torn out. "I'm sorry you don't like it, but I need someone to play with and I assumed my first choice wouldn't be up for it, seeing as she hates me and all." He was giving me a pointed look, making it clear _I_ was that first choice he was talking about.

"So your next best option is to use my friend as your personal blood bag?" I asked coolly, fuming internally at his complete disregard for human life.

"Oh, trust me, I do way more than just feed from her," he said with one of those weird, suggestive eyebrow movements of his. "I would be more than happy to get rid of her if you're willing to take her place. She's way too chatty for my liking anyway."

"You're sick," I growled, tightening my grip on the door of his car until my knuckles turned white. "I wouldn't touch you with a laser pointer."

"Then I guess we're at a… how do you call it? _Impasse_," he smirked nastily.

"You son of a –"

"Cassie! Are you going to continue to flirt with my boyfriend right in front of me or are you planning on joining us for practice sometime soon?" Caroline's bitchy tone reached my ears and, even though she was my friend and I knew none of it was her fault, I wanted nothing more than to strangle her.

"This isn't over," I warned Damon before stepping away from him and joining the rest of the cheering squad, internally sighing at the messed up situation I somehow managed to find myself in.

"What was _that_ about?" Elena asked as I stood next to her on the front row, waiting for Caroline to kick off practice.

"Nothing important," I said dismissively, shaking off my morbid thoughts and positioning myself correctly once music started blaring from the CD player Caroline was leaned over.

It was more than clear that Elena and I were way behind the rest of the girls, as we constantly checked to our sides to make sure we were doing the correct dance moves. I knew I would've probably cared a lot about not knowing the routines a year ago, but things had changed so drastically I found myself not giving a shit about the routines, cheering or even being part of the squad anymore. I was so frustrated with everything going on in my life at the moment that I would've been more than pleased to take a weight off my back, even if it was something that used to mean so much to me not so long ago.

"Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today?" Caroline finally called out in one of my sister's worst moments in that sickly sweet voice of hers that sounded extremely superior and condescending to my ears. I threw a glare at the blonde, catching sight of Elena's downcast expression and, in the process, forgot to look at the girl besides me and screwed up the following dance move, something Caroline's keen eyes didn't fail to notice. "Cassie, maybe if you stopped throwing yourself at other people's boyfriends you would be able to nail this routine, don't you think?"

I froze on the spot, a blazing, white-hot fury consuming me and making my blood boil as I coolly glared at the blonde team captain, who started cowering under my grey eyes before composing herself and acting as if she didn't know she had screwed up big time. "What the hell did you just say to me?" I asked in a threateningly low voice that was still heard over the music, seeing as every girl on the team had stopped dancing and seemed glued to their spots.

Caroline's eyes widened in nervousness, but, looking around at the group of girls waiting for her reaction, she seemed to decide to stand her ground. "I-I just thought you would know better than to flirt with unavailable guys," she stammered slightly, gulping at my narrowed gaze and stepping back slightly as I took a step towards her. "I mean, after what happened with Tyler and –"

"Shut up!" I barked, smirking smugly once I saw Caroline wince at my tone. "I don't know what the hell is your problem, but you have no right to talk about my life as if you knew shit!" I took another step forward, causing the blonde to practically stumble and fall on her ass in her haste to get away from me. Ignoring the urge to slap the stupidity out of her, I simply grabbed my purse and made a beeline for my car before deciding to add something and turning in my heel to face the disoriented group of girls. "Actually, I _do_ know what your problem is. You're such an unconfident little girl, always wanting to be the best and to outdo everyone in everything that your incredibly low self-esteem makes it hard for you to believe that a guy would want you for anything more than a quick fuck before moving on to the next one. Next time, don't take your insecurities out on me. Oh, and if you were still wondering, I quit!"

And, with a bitchy flip of my ponytail, I strutted out of the field and towards the parking lot, thinking the time I used to dedicate to cheer practice would be put to a better use in a self-defense class. With that thought in mind, I got into my car and, ignoring the looks I was getting from my sister, Bonnie, Caroline and the rest of the team, I drove away and towards the town's gym.

* * *

I burst through my front door completely ignoring my sister and Bonnie as they looked at me as if I was a crazy person from the kitchen and stumbled up the stairs, trying my best to avoid acknowledging the soreness in my body in my haste to get a nice warm shower and clean the sweat off my skin. As much as self-defense lessons had kicked my butt – both literally and metaphorically – I felt so much better knowing that I would soon be somewhat capable of defending myself against a human being and, with the aid of some vervain, maybe even a vampire.

However, seeing as I was running late to my sister's dinner thingie (and considering she had left me a couple of very threatening voice mails explaining in vivid detail everything she would do to me if I failed to attend and act as a buffer between her best friend and her boy toy), I had to forsake the long bath I would've wanted to take and, instead, went for a quick shower before throwing on the first pieces of cloth I could get my hands on. I checked myself on my vanity mirror and, seeing I looked as great as I usually did, I chose to be nice and help my sister set the table downstairs.

"Have you talked to your Grams?" Elena's voice was saying as I came down the stairs.

"She's just going to say it's because I'm a witch," Bonnie replied, her voice sounding whiny and pouty even from where I was standing. "I don't want to be a witch! Do you want to be a witch?"

"I don't want to be a witch," Elena stated.

"I want to be a witch," I claimed as I finally stepped into the kitchen and came to stand in front of the two dark-haired girls. "That'd be so cool."

"You already are a witch," Elena said with a frown tugging her mouth down. "Oh, wait… that's a bitch I meant to call you. What the hell was that with Caroline today?"

"She was pissing me off and I let her know she was way out of line," I said as if it was no big deal, snatching a fry from the serving my sister was carefully placing inside a bowl. "And putting those in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody."

"Okay, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons?" Elena asked to herself, already distracted in her thoughts about impressing her new boy-toy with her (nonexistent) cooking skills.

"Middle drawer on your left," Bonnie pointed out confidently and both Elena and I gave her a curious look, knowing that none of us were familiar with the kitchen and its contents, seeing as we couldn't cook to save our lives. Things got even weirder when Elena opened the drawer and pulled out the spoon she had been looking for.

"Okay, so you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times," Elena shrugged as an explanation, as if it had been usual for us to spend any time in the kitchen.

"Yeah, that's it," Bonnie agreed hastily, though her expression was still one of confusion and worry.

"You two are idiots," I muttered, my internal cursing being interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing.

"Okay, he's here," Elena announced with a barely contained smile.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," I piped in.

"Don't be nervous. Just be your normal, loving self," my sister told her best friend, pointedly ignoring my amused snort at her words. Caroline may be the bitchy one of the group, but there was no way I would describe Bonnie as 'loving'.

As Elena left the kitchen to open the door, Bonnie was left looking after her with a freaked out expression. Her eyes, though, suddenly turned blank. "Birthday candles," she whispered to herself before opening the drawer in front of her. I leaned over the kitchen island to get a good look into its contents when my eyes actually landed on an unopened package of birthday candles.

"Okay, that's creepy," I said, locking eyes with the shorter girl in front of me for a second before shrugging it off and putting on a relaxed and calm mask as we received Stefan into the kitchen. All the while, though, I was left wondering if Bonnie's Grams may actually be right about her being a witch. It may've sounded stupid to Elena and her friend, but, knowing that vampires really existed, there wasn't much that would surprise me.

The four of us sat at the table, eating slowly in the most awkward silence ever, while Elena struggled to start a conversation and Bonnie ignored her desperate attempts skillfully. My sister was throwing me desperate looks all the while, but I was enjoying her being tortured by the situation too much to actually try to break it off.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena, once again trying to break through the uncomfortable silence, asked Stefan.

"Tanner?" I asked, actually confused. I may have skipped school, but I knew that we weren't supposed to have a History lesson that day, so I was confused as to how Tanner could've bothered Stefan in any way.

"You would know what I'm talking about if you'd stayed at school like you're supposed to," Elena spat with narrowed eyes, causing me to roll my own in exasperation.

"I joined the football team," Stefan gallantly explained, probably knowing as well as I did that my sister wasn't about to enlighten me anytime soon. "He actually let me in, so… I must've done something right."

Elena smiled that star-struck, fangirl worthy creepy smile of hers before turning to Bonnie, attempting to include her in the conversation. "Bonnie, you should've seen Stefan today," she began, "Tyler threw a ball right at him and –"

"Yeah, I heard," Bonnie interrupted, leaving Elena startled and with no other ideas as to how she could get everyone talking.

I, on the other hand, had a few of my own. "Did you get a good hit in?" I asked with an evil smile, hoping evilly that he had. Sadly, though, Stefan shook his head and the silence resumed once again.

"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Elena prompted, clearly not tired out of trying to salvage what was left of her carefully planned (but miserably executed) dinner plan.

"Um, divorced, no mum, live with my dad," she said curtly, probably not wanting to give Elena the long, detailed life-story she was probably searching for.

However, I had finally got tired of the bumpy conversations and never-ending pauses. "Don't play the fool, Sabrina. Even _you_ aren't that thick," I intervened. "We both know she was talking about the witchy stuff."

I was hoping Stefan would give something away and, considering his suddenly startled expression and seeing how his eyes grew wide and hurriedly shifted to Bonnie, it wasn't hard to realize the vampire must've known something. It seemed to me that Bonnie's Grams wasn't just a common drunk after all.

"Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches," Elena informed Stefan, catching onto the fact that the topic had managed to peak his curiosity. "It's really cool."

"Cool isn't the word I'd use," Bonny added, noticing, but dismissing, Elena's pointed look for her to start talking about something.

"Well, it's certainly interesting," Stefan said easily, cutting short the staring contest between the two friends. "I'm not too versed, but I do know there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s."

"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie explained, unknowingly having taken the bait as she happily talked to Stefan about her ancestry, forgetting about her previous mistrust of the guy.

"Really?" Stefan asked, interested, gracing Bonnie with one of those deep stares of him. "Salem witches?"

"Yeah," Bonnie laughed slightly, as if embarrassed by the cliché of it all.

"A bit too cliché for my taste, but definitely cooler than those old farts otherwise known as our 'founding fathers'," I piped in, throwing a wink at a smiling Bonnie.

"Definitely," Stefan agreed, knowing it was a good way to get in Bonnie's good graces.

"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked, confused as to Stefan's uncommon interest towards her family history.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non-conformity," the vampire droned on in a slow, teacher-like voice.

I wanted to roll my eyes as the conversation took a turn right into Snoozeville, but any remnant of sleep automatically disappeared when I caught sight of Bonnie actually smiling at Stefan. "Yeah, they are," she said happily while Elena and I exchanged triumphant looks.

The doorbell rang once again and, not wanting to interrupt the bonding moment – and looking for an excuse to make a run for it in case they continued talking history – I was quick to jump to my feet. "I'll get it," I offered, not even thinking of who would just pop-up so late uninvited.

"Surprise!" Caroline's cheery voice and smiley face greeted me once I opened the door. I flipped her – and the black haired demon standing next to her by extension – the bird and slammed the door in her face.

"Who was it?" Elena yelled from the kitchen.

"No one," I lied easily, though I let out a groan once the doorbell rang again and my sister appeared in the foyer, opening the door once again.

"That was rude," the blonde frowned at me before turning to a shocked Elena with a smile. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner so we brought dessert."

"No one invited you, blondie," I growled angrily, blocking the doorway as Caroline tried to step into the house. "I don't want you here right now and I _never_ want him stepping a foot inside my house."

"Cassie," Elena gasped out, horrified at my rudeness and pulling me out of the way, allowing Caroline to barge right in before practically shoving the cake she had into my hands. I was seriously considering throwing it right to her face when Stefan stepped next to Elena and the tension in the room rose to unexpected levels.

"What are you doing here?" he asked his brother, while facing him with a stony expression.

"Waiting for Elena or the lovely Cassandra to invite me in," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah, you –"

"Can get the hell out of my porche," I snapped, interrupting my sister and stopping her from letting a very dangerous and highly unstable bloodsucking monster into our house.

"He can't stay," Stefan backed me up, causing Elena to frown at him in confusion. They both turned to Damon, who was still standing there, trying to look innocent and failing miserably. "Can you, Damon?"

"Get in here," Caroline said from behind us and I drew in a sharp breath in annoyance, having forgotten about her slipping in before.

"You don't get to boss people around in _my_ house, Barbie," I sneered, glaring at her pouty expression.

"We're just finishing up," Stefan added as an excuse.

"It's fine, just come on in," Elena invited before I could do anything to stop her.

Damon smiled triumphantly, throwing his brother a smug look and purposefully pressing up against me as he walked towards Caroline. He wriggled his eyebrows wickedly before turning his expression into one of seriousness once more and facing my sister. "You have a beautiful home, Elena," he commented in fake politeness.

"Yeah, and now that you've seen it you can get the hell out," I said in a false sweet tone. Damon smirked at me and Stefan took a step forward, so that he was standing right in between his brother, Elena and I. Steffie and I teamed up to glare at the black haired vampire and the silence was so tense I could practically feel it weighing down on me.

"How about some tea?" Elena offered, trying to diffuse the tension. Damon smiled falsely and nodded before stepping into the living room, following Caroline.

* * *

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team." Caroline had been blabbing on and on for the past half-hour and my moodiness had been increasing with every word that came out of her mouth. "Tyler must be seething, which is definitely a plus. Right, Cass?"

I glared viciously at her, causing the blonde to shrink back and into Damon's chest. "Stop trying to act like my friend, Caroline. You're not," I told her, sipping on my coffee to occupy my mouth from cursing at anyone and anybody that crossed my path. Between the ditzy blonde practically seated on the dangerous vampire's lap and the fact that my idiot sister had practically signed my death sentence by enabling said dangerous vampire to enter my house whenever he pleased, I was not in the best of moods.

"Good for you, though," Caroline continued, her brain probably too messed up by the compulsion Damon must've been using on her to realize what I had said. "Go for it."

"That's what I always tell him," Damon said, agreeing with his 'girlfriend'. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you; you have to go get it." I rolled my eyes at the sheer stupidity of his speech, which had nothing to envy from Elena's self-helping monologues.

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today," Caroline said, being smart enough to let me out of whatever jab she was about to throw my sister's way. The blonde must've caught my sister's look, because she was quick to try to comfort her in her weird, Caroline fashion. "It's only because you missed summer camp. I don't know how you're _ever_ gonna learn the routines." Of course, true to herself, Caroline couldn't say something nice without sticking her foot into her big mouth.

"I'll work with her," Bonnie supplied helpfully, though I could tell by her expression that I wasn't the only one fed up with the blonde's attitude. "She'll get it."

"I guess we can put her in the back," Caroline continued to say to herself, completely ignoring Bonnie's offers and the looks that everyone, even Damon, was giving her. The blonde caught my eye and, of course, she misinterpreted my glare, though I'm not too sure how someone can do _that_. "And you don't even have to ask, Cassie. Of course I forgive you for what you said to me. I'll even allow you to cheer during the match."

I opened my mouth to tell her where exactly she could stuff her offer, but one pissed off look from Elena silenced me. I swallowed to calm my nerves before attempting to reply as civilly as possible. "Oh, that's _so_ nice of you, Caroline," I told her, sarcasm practically oozing out of my words, not that the ditzy blonde caught it.

"Hey, you don't – you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Cassandra," Damon said seriously and, even though he may have not intended for it to be taken that way, I took his comment as a compliment. I looked right into his icy blue eyes with my own grey ones and I gave him a small, but rare smile.

"Oh, that's just cause her parents died," Caroline said, making Elena, who had just taken a gulp of her tea, spit it back into the cup. Everyone looked at her in horror and even I was too shocked for words. I could only watch on with my mouth open as she talked about the worse time of my life so nonchalantly. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be _way_ more fun, just like Elena. Those two were certainly the life of the party before. Now… not so much." I stood up from my spot, my entire body shaking in rage as I mentally told myself over and over again that it wouldn't be good if I strangled Caroline – given that her mum was the sheriff and all that. "And I say that with complete sensitivity."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch Caroline into a bloody pulp. I wanted to pull my hair out. I wanted to rake my nails down the side of my head. Anything to allow my body to cool down from the fiery anger that was burning through my insides at the moment. However, for what had to be the first time in my life, I was also too hurt to do anything other than grabbing my cup, as well as Elena's, Stefan's and Bonnie's, and taking them to the kitchen.

Doing the dishes seemed to calm me down slightly. The pain brought from the contact with the scalding water pulled me back to my senses and, taking deep breaths every five seconds or so, I could slowly feel the anger inside of me melting off into a manageable emotion. No one stepped into the kitchen – probably Elena's doing, since she knew how bad I could get when I was in one of my fits of rage – until, of course, the devil himself decided to pay me a visit.

"One more," his voice said from behind me as I finished putting away the bowls Elena had used to serve dinner under the sink. I turned my face to see him bringing in a glass with a calm expression that didn't make me think he was planning on killing me anytime soon.

"Thanks," I reluctantly said as he tossed me the glass. I wasn't expecting him to throw a glass item at me, even though I knew he was still furious about me macing him and then kicking him where the sun didn't shine, so I couldn't be blamed for letting the glass slip through my fingers. With vampire reflexes, Damon managed to catch it and hand it to me with a smug smirk. "Show off."

"You're welcome," he said, smirk still firmly in place as he went around me to lean on the kitchen counter.

"You seem to be going out of your way to get back at me for what happened the other day," I commented offhandedly, loading up the dishwasher with the plates I had finished rinsing off. "I mean, dating one of my friends, popping up at my house for coffee after dinner so you would get invited inside and putting up with annoying teenage talk just to kill little ole me for stabbing you with a fork? Seems a bit much, doesn't it?"

"I'm not here to kill you," he denied, wriggling his eyebrows. "Maybe I just wanted to be able to sneak into your room when you're sleeping and go through your underwear drawer. Thongs or boyshorts? I personally picture you as a thong girl, but you seem to surprise me every time, so I'm not too sure anymore."

"You're a pig," I told him, calmly, surprisingly having to suppress a smile at his comment. However, the smile slipped off my face once I started thinking about the reason he would want to get into my house, if it wasn't just to get the chance to kill me in my sleep. "So, you're doing all of this to piss Stefan off?" His smile froze for a moment. He was clearly shocked at my deduction, even though that wasn't the worst thing I came up with at that moment. "So it's _him_ you want to get back at. All because he stole your girl."

"So, little brother spilled the beans, huh?" he asked, his once laidback position tensed with anger. "And he told you _he_ was the one to steal _my_ girl?"

"He didn't tell me anything," I said. "I figured there had to be a good reason for brothers to hate each other as much as you two seem to, and a woman was the only thing I could think of that could come between two brothers. So, which one of you dated her first?"

"Ask Stefan, I'm sure his answer differs from mine," he said with a touch of bitterness in his voice. I was about to ask more about the woman who had been with the two brothers – slutty move, if you ask me – but Damon was quick to change the subject. "I'd quit cheerleading if I were you."

"I already did. Your sociopathic girlfriend just decided to ignore my very public, very loud resignation," I said with a sardonic smirk. I was interested, though, in knowing why he thought I should. "Why do you care, anyways?"

"I saw you and your sister at practice," he said, stating the obvious, since he knew I had been majorly creeped out by his staring, "both of you looked miserable."

"If you didn't notice, happy is not really my usual look," I said dryly, though I made a mental note to talk to my sister about doing what she wanted instead of what people expected her to do. "I'm not exactly the giggly, bouncy kind of girl."

"Then why are you a cheerleader of all things? Isn't being bouncy and giggly part of the job description?" Damon asked, with a mock confused expression. I threw the rag I was folding up to his face and laughed when it hit him straight on. "See, right there. You _can_ actually laugh. You just don't do it too often because you're so involved in things that make you all mopey and angsty. Like cheerleading, like your ex-boyfriend, like your sister and her little gang of friends. Just move on, quit everything, ta-da!"

I laughed again at his words and it was weird. I wasn't used to letting out a real laugh – I wasn't used to any facial expressions other than a smug smirk, an evil smirk or an I'm-up-to-something smirk – so twice in less than a minute felt out of character for me. "It's not that simple," I finally said. "I can't just let go of everything that used to matter. I can't give up on the chance that things will actually be right again and that everything that made sense in my life once will make sense again." I paused, taking time to actually let my words sink in. "And I can't believe I'm saying all this to you of all people."

"Hey! I'm a good listener!" Damon protested, with a mock pout on his lips.

I smiled, thinking about how right he was, even though he meant it as a joke. "You really are," I agreed, much to his surprise. With everything that had been going on lately in my family, I'd spent most of my time being there for Elena, Jenna and Jeremy, but I'd never actually spoken to any of them about how I felt. I didn't know why, but talking to Damon actually made me feel somewhat better. "And I'm sorry, you know?"  
"Oh, no, no, no," he chanted, his playful smirk back on his face. "You won't get out of it that easily. I'll still find a way to get back at you for the vervain fiasco."

"I'm counting on it," I replied, with a matching smirk that turned into a serious expression. "But I meant about Katherine. Steffie may be the tormented, serious brother, but you lost her too."

Damon's face was completely shocked as he took in my condolences and, as strange as it may seem, if I squinted a bit and tilted my head to the side, I could actually catch a hint of gratefulness in his eyes, an emotion I didn't think the older Salvatore was capable of. As soon as it appeared, though, his face returned to his normal cocky/smug expression and I heard steps approaching the kitchen door.

"Hey," Bonnie's voice made me jump about a foot in the air as she and Elena appeared in the room. "Need some help?"

"Sure, why not?" Damon replied. I motioned for them to help with folding some rags, but gave one last look at the eldest Salvatore. He was looking at me too, his face a mixture of confusion and curiosity, which were both emotions I was feeling too. I had gotten it into my head that Damon Salvatore was a bloodthirsty killing machine with no feelings other than hate and hunger, but the little conversation we'd just had made me realize that maybe I'd been wrong about him. Maybe. "I'll go check on my girl."

He disappeared into the living room and I suddenly remembered the reason I was not supposed to like him: Caroline. "You know, I'd better make sure he and Stefan don't kill each other," I hurried to say, tossing Elena the pile of rags I had with me. "You know, wouldn't want the new rug to get stained with blood and all that…"

I got out of the kitchen ignoring Elena's and Bonnie's looks, crossed paths with Caroline without even glancing her way and stood outside the living room entrance. Something told me I should let the brothers have their conversation in private, so I stood outside, leaning against the wall and listening to the conversation going on between Stefan and Damon.

"… doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to," Stefan was saying, probably referring to the scarf-covered Caroline.

"Sure she does," Damon's voice replied in his usual careless tone. "They all do – especially that delicious cheerleader sister of your girlfriend. They're whatever I want them to be; they're mine for the taking." It was stupid of me, but I could practically feel my heart dropping a bit at his words. _Idiot,_ I told myself.

"Alright, you've had your fun," Stefan snapped angrily. "You used Caroline, you got to me, Cassie and Elena. Good for you. Now it's time for you to go."

"That's not a problem," Damon replied, a hint of mischief in his voice. "Because… I've been invited in. And I will come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with your little cheerleaders whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me."

"I think it's time for you to go," I said firmly, appearing in the doorway, my entire body shaking in rage at having my sister threatened by that stupid vampire who, for just a second, I stupidly thought couldn't be nearly as bad as I thought he was. Both brothers turned to look at me, Stefan with an apologetic expression and Damon with his usual smug mask. "And if you _ever_ step foot inside my house again, I'll take you down with vervain, but I'll also make sure to stake your ass. You've been warned."

* * *

My eyes opened suddenly, wide in fear and shock as I surveyed the dark room I was in. My room. It was empty; nothing was remotely wrong with it.

"You know," a voice suddenly spoke from the other side of my bed, making me jump and almost let out a frightened shriek, "I didn't take you as the type to have dirty dreams about your friends' boyfriends." I yanked open my nightstand drawer, pulling out the liquidized vervain I drank every morning and intending to drown Damon in the liquid, but he was fast to get up from his position laying on my bed and take the bottle out of my grasp, throwing it to the farthest corner of my room. I struggled to untangle myself from my bed sheets, fully intending to make a run for it, grab the bottle and kill Damon Salvatore, but my waist was grabbed from behind me and I was pinned to the bed by the strong, muscular body of Damon Salvatore. "Nice PJs," he commented, glancing down appraisingly at my – lack of – outfit.

"What do you want?" I asked, thrashing against his hold and trying to buckle him off me.

"Mmm, for one I want you to keep moving like _that_," he purred in my ear, sending tingles down my spine as his warm breath tickled my skin. I froze and stopped my movements immediately, wanting to face-palm myself for being such an idiot in the first place. "And I don't want anything right now, other than to prove that I have the power over you and your little family." He chuckled darkly and I shivered again, in fear of what he could do to my family if he wanted to. "Actually, after having you move _that way _under me, I suddenly want other things…"

"You're disgusting," I spat, furiously.

"… but I don't think you'd be willing to give them to me right now," he finished, his smirk still in place. Slowly, he climbed off of me so that he was standing on my bedside. "Remember, your little vervain mix won't stop me from killing off your entire family." He placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth, which caused me to shiver again, and, in a flash, he was gone, my curtains moving slightly from the wind getting in from the open window.

"I'm so screwed…"

* * *

I parked Elena's SUV, watching in envy as Jeremy immediately disappeared to join his druggy, screwed-up group of friends and Elena jumped off the passenger seat, cheerily joining a couple of cheery cheerleaders – gosh, I was the master of alliterations, wasn't I? I wished I could be as careless as they were but, with Damon's threat hanging over my family, I couldn't quite relax.

Sighing, I yawned and stretched like a cat, cursing the black haired Salvatore for completely ruining my night's sleep. I'd had to use nearly the entirety of my concealer supply to somewhat mask the purple bags under my eyes, and my outfit wasn't quite as inspired as usual. To be quite honest, not even the thought of seeing Tyler getting ran over by members of the opposing team was enough to get me out of bed in the morning, but the knowledge that I had to keep an eye on my siblings was.

"Why aren't you dressed?" Caroline's voice reached me the second I stepped out of the car. I looked at her; all decked out in her cheerleading uniform, with a scarf covering her neck and I immediately felt guilty for being so harsh on her the past couple of days. Yes, Caroline may be insensitive, too talkative for my taste and an utter bitch, but that was no excuse for not taking better care of her.

"I quit, remember?" I said, swallowing all the smart-ass replies that were at the tip of my tongue. Her face scrunched up in confusion and my heart dropped when I remembered all the compulsion Damon had been using on her lately – it must've messed with her head.

"But… Elena already quit," she protested, her lips pouty and her eyes pleading. "The routine we've been practicing won't work without at least one of you there."

"Care, I –"

"Cassie, please," she begged, grabbing my hands in hers and squeezing them almost painfully. "You know the routine perfectly and I need you there. I know I've been a bitch to you lately and I'm really sorry, but I really need you right now. Please! I'm sorry for asking this when you always do so much for me, but you're my best friend and I need your help. Please?"

I was a sucky best friend. I'd been so immersed in my own problems lately that I'd completely overlooked the blonde girl who'd always been there for me – in her own way. I'd allowed Damon to hurt her, use her and manipulate her without doing anything to prevent it, but no more. "I'll run home to get changed and I'll make it in time for kick-off, alright?" I asked, watching as her face instantly brightened, as a smile appeared on it. She nodded furiously and threw her arms around me in the tightest hug I'd probably ever gotten.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she sang happily, finally letting me go and pushing me towards the driver's door of Elena's car. "You're the best friend _ever_!"

No, I wasn't. But I sure as hell was going to try to make things right.

* * *

Forty minutes later, an entire change of clothes and three texts about how Jeremy had gotten into a fight with my ex later, I was parking near the football field – again – and jumping out of the car at breakneck speed. It was dark, the game was about to start and Caroline would kill me if I didn't make it on time. I slammed the door shut, but gasped and pressed myself backwards into the car when I saw someone standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, inconspicuously rummaging through my cheer bag and cursing myself when I realized that, in my haste, I'd forgotten to transfer the contents of the purse I'd brought with me to the game to the bag filled with my cheerleading stuff.

"Oh, you know, just lurking around creepily, looking for defenseless girls," he said with his usual smirk, looking me up and down appreciatively. "And hiding from Caroline, obviously. I needed a break… she talks more than I can listen. Besides, you look much better than her in your skimpy, cheerleader outfit."

"Leave Caroline alone," I said, standing up for my friend like I should've done from the beginning. "I don't want you to see her, I don't want you to talk to her and I don't want you near her."

"Now, why would I do _that_?" Damon asked, looking at me as if I'd lost my mind. "She's gorgeous, fiery, and she's friends with you, which means I can get to you through her. Also, she doesn't drink vervain every day, so she's perfect for a bite."

I grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and, with every ounce of strength I possessed, I slammed Damon against the side of the SUV. "Because if you don't, I swear I'll find a way to make you suffer," I threatened, my eyes narrowed at his smug smirk. In a flash, he grabbed my shoulders and spun us around, so that I was being pressed against the car and he was the one holding me against it.

"Touchy, touchy…" he commented, waggling his finger in front of my face in a mocking manner. "You should really learn to respect your elders." My glare intensified and, in a fit of rage – and stupidity – I actually slapped him in the face, causing his head to turn with the strength of the blow. "You shouldn't have done that."

I felt the back of my head colliding with the car's window and the sharp pain spreading through mu skull before darkness started to engulf me and I saw no more.

* * *

I felt my body being laid on something soft before being covered by something warm. I felt the fabric beneath my fingertips. I felt a slight coppery taste in my mouth and, surprisingly, I felt no pain in my head like I thought I would. I wanted to open my eyes, but I was way too comfortable to; at least, until I felt my hair being moved away from my face by a set of rough fingers.

I opened my eyes, to find myself in my room. Alone. I sat up and looked down at my body, only to find that I was still wearing the cheerleading uniform. And that was when it hit me: the game, Caroline, Elena, Jeremy, Damon… I jumped out of bed and practically sprinted out of my room and down the stairs, almost barreling into my sister the moment she opened the front door and got into the house.

"Elena!" I gasped out in surprise and relief, grabbing her around the shoulders and checking her for any kind of injuries, which she was thankfully free of. "Are you alright?"  
"I should be the one asking you that," she said, scrunching up her eyebrows as she regarded me with worry. "Stefan told me you weren't feeling good so he had to drive you home. How do you feel?"

I only hesitated for a second, before the lie sprouted out of my lips easily. "I'm fine," I replied, internally grateful that Stefan had had the forethought of coming up with an excuse for my sudden disappearance that didn't involve his psycho brother knocking me out. "How did the game go?"

"Oh my God, you don't know," Elena whispered after a sharp intake of breath. "The game was cancelled."

"What? Why?" I asked, shocked that Mr. Tanner would allow his precious team to back out of a game.

"There was another animal attack," Elena told me, her big brown eyes wide with fear and concern. My mind immediately flashed back to the idiotic way I'd threatened Damon, thinking he had decided to kill Caroline as pay back. "Matt found Mr. Tanner dead in the parking lot."

"Shit," I wheezed out, relief flooding me at the thought that my friends were alright, followed by an instant feeling of guilt. As much as I hated Mr. Tanner, he didn't deserve to get his throat ripped out by a vicious vampire.

"Cassie, are you alright? You look really pale," Elena commented, feeling my forehead with her hand. "You should probably get back to bed."

"Yeah, sure…" I agreed offhandedly, grabbing her hand that was resting on my skin and giving it a light squeeze before returning it to her. "I just need some sleep."

"Alright, just yell if you need anything," Elena commanded in her motherly voice. I nodded absentmindedly, turning in my heel and heading up the stairs and into my bedroom.

I was quick to head for my phone, which was suspiciously laying on my bedside table, and looked through my contacts for Stefan's number, pressing the call button as soon as I found it. "We need to do something," I said the moment I heard the click at the other end of the line, signaling that someone had picked up. "We have to stop him from killing anyone else."

"_I know,"_ Stefan's deep voice replied. _"I'm working on it. I'll let you know when I figure something out."_

"You'd better hurry up before the body count gets the council's attention," I snapped, thinking of the group of people in Mystic Falls John had told me about.

"_I know,"_ he repeated, patiently.

"And Stefan," I added, before he hung up. "Thanks for getting me home and patching me up tonight."

I heard a sigh on the other end of the line before Stefan's voice filled my ears again. _"That wasn't me, Cassie,"_ he confessed, though I could tell it was reluctant. _"That was Damon."_

Well, shit.

**A/N: Alright, I'll say it, even though I promised myself I wouldn't: I'm so so so so sorry I haven't been able to update in such a long time! I made the big mistake (not that I would ever again confess willingly to doing something wrong) of signing myself up for 5 college classes this semester (people here usually take 2 or 3 at a time) and they are really kicking my butt, especially these past few weeks, with exams coming up and all. So I sat down today and cooked up this LONG chapter for you guys to apologize. Here's to hoping the next one won't take as long! Outfits in my Polyvore page! xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Family Ties

**Little note before the start of the chapter, in my version of Friday Night Bites, DAMON DIDN'T TRY TO KISS ELENA!**

"So, he can use some weird mind thingie to make you have dreams about him killing Elena? That's sick."

"_Don't worry, as long as you and the rest of your family have vervain in your bodies, he can't get in your heads," _Stefan's voice replied, considerably calmer compared to the frantic teenager/century old man/boy who had called my phone first hour in the morning to ask about Elena's wellbeing.

"I know," I replied, looking at myself in the mirror and crinkling my nose at my disheveled appearance; waking up earlier than 10 am on a weekend certainly took a toll on a girl's beauty. "But _you_ can't drink the stuff unless you want to go around foaming like a rabid dog – if that's what you guys do when you ingest the stuff, which let me tell you, would look seriously unattractive on you…"

"_Cassie…"_

"Sorry, lost my focus there for a moment," I said, getting my thoughts back on track and clearing my mind of the disturbing, but somehow pleasant, images of a foaming and writhing Damon Salvatore as I started brushing my hair to untangle all the knots in it. "Anyways, it's you I'm worried about."

"_Why?" _Stefan asked, clearly confused about my concerned feelings.

"You seriously don't expect me to blurt something like 'Because you're my friend and I love you', right? Because that would be totally girly and cheesy and fluffy and just not me," I replied, smirking when I heard Stefan's scoff from the other end of the line. "Let's just say I don't want to deal with a pissy Elena and a smug-ass Damon if he manages to drive you nuts with those creepy little dreams of his."

"_I'm glad my mental health is so important to you,"_ Stefan said, sarcasm practically oozing from his voice.

"Ehh, it's not your mental health as much as mine… Without you in the picture, I'm sure it wouldn't take much for Elena and Damon to take me on a ride to Crazyville," I shrugged, using my shoulder to hold the phone up to my ear while I tied the laces of a pair of black suede boots I'd bought the other day. "On the bright side, your brother made himself useful and got the council off your back, didn't he? While animal attack may be a little too cliché for my taste, it seems to be cutting it for the police."

"_I almost would have preferred he hadn't done anything to cover his tracks," _Stefan sighed into the phone as I finally straightened up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. Damn, I looked too hot for my own good. I still didn't understand how Tyler could be so stupid to dump me for someone like Vicki. Not that the girl was ugly, even though she was a hoe, but I was otherworldly… _"Cassie? Did you hear what I just said?"_

"What?" I automatically asked, snapping out of my lust-induced state. What could I say? I was way too hot… wait, I had to focus! "No, sorry, I was too busy drooling over my reflection."

"_Remind me again why I'm counting on you to help?"_

"Aww, Stef, you wound me," I drawled teasingly in a tone that was way too close to Damon's own mocking one for my comfort. "We both know I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you. Hell, I'm the best thing to happen to anyone who's ever met me."

"_It certainly isn't because of your humility. That's for sure,"_ Stefan pondered aloud. I laughed at that, pleasantly shocked by the fact that Stefan had just pulled a joke about something. _"Back to the matter at hand, though, I was saying that by covering his tracks Damon has made it more than clear that he intends to stay here for a while."_

"Well, that's bloody awesome," I scoffed angrily, my good mood gone at the mention of the bastard who was still messing with my best friend and who now had access to my house and, therefore, the ability to harm my family.

"Breakfast!" Jenna's voice sounded around the room, reminding me that, even though the world was practically crumbling around me – okay, I may be acting a tad dramatic – I still needed to eat, especially after the long run I'd gone for that morning.

"I need to go. Us humans still need to eat," I reminded Stefan in a mock-peppy voice. "Go find yourself some Bugs Bunny and we'll talk later, alright?"

"_Sure, sure,"_ Stefan agreed. _"I'll be heading to your house in a few, so I'll see you there."_

"That's only if you manage to take your lips and hands off my sister for long enough," I teased. "Remember Elena still needs to breathe, will you?"  
_"Goodbye, Cassie,"_ he said curtly, clearly irritated by my teasing.

"Buh-bye, oh, future brother-in-law," I greeted, hanging the phone before I could be scolded for my words. Seriously, I'd never thought Elena getting a new lover-boy would affect me in any way, but it seemed that lately I was being scolded doubly, by both my sister and her vampire counterpart. The positive thing was that she wasn't being all mopey anymore and she had thankfully stopped shooting out phrases that seemed to have been taken out of a lame self-help book. "And thank God for that."

Deciding that nothing I added to my outfit would make me look any better – it was just not humanely possible to look even a tad better than I did right then – I placed my phone inside my jeans' pocket and headed down the stairs and for the kitchen. My stomach was practically aching with hunger and my limbs were sore and tired after the exercise I had put them through that morning, but I was happy to notice that my exhaustion was considerably less than it was the first days I'd gone out for a run. I had been gaining stamina and my self-defense classes were going quite well. All in all, I'd soon be ready to beat anyone and anything that came my way.

"Scum-barrel, scum-bucket…"

Well, anything except the usual weirdness of my family. I walked into the kitchen to find Aunt Jenna cursing at the TV screen and my sister looking as lost as I was. We shared a confused look before turning our attention back to our clearly insane guardian.

"Who are you talking to?" Elena asked, in a tone that suggested she thought she was trying to reason with a three-year-old.

"Him," Jenna said as if it was obvious, nodding towards the TV, where Logan Fell's face was being displayed front and center.

It all made sense to me after that. "Ahh, dear ol' Logan Scumfell," I said, standing next to my aunt as we both glared at the TV screen while Elena looked on with confusion.

"The TV guy?" she asked, still lost as to why Jenna seemed to hate him so much.

"Did your mum ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?" Jenna asked in return, averting her glower long enough to look at her second-favorite niece (me being the first one, of course).

"She did," I replied for Elena, smirking as a look of sudden realization came across my sister's face.

"No way!" she gasped, a smile spreading across her face as she took in Jenna's sour expression. "You and him?" She examined him a bit more. "He's cute."

"He's not cute," Jenna protested angrily, though her pout made her look like a little girl who'd lost her candy. "There's nothing cute about him."

"So that's why you covered his house in toilet paper, covered his car with glitter and threw him water balloons filled with paint?" Elena asked me, remembering all those months I'd spent grounded four years ago.

"He didn't look so cute then, did he?" I mockingly pondered out loud, causing Elena to look at me in disapproval and Jenna in shock. "Orange is so not his color."

"Why didn't I ever hear about this?" Jenna whined playfully.

"I had pictures, but mum wouldn't let me send them to you and she made me burn them," I shrugged innocently. "And you know I wouldn't dare defy mum. She was scary when she wanted to be."

"Where did you hide the copies?" Jenna asked, not buying my act. Damn, she knew me so well.

"Taped on the inside of my locker at school," I admitted, ignoring my sister's scandalized look. "I'll bring them after school on Monday."

"I love you," Jenna said, hugging me and handing me a cup of warm coffee as a reward.

"Who doesn't?" I shot back as I grabbed a piece of toast to eat. I sat on the table next to Elena, who was too concerned with going through a box of old stuff to throw in a comment about my humility like Stefan had done a few minutes before. "And what are you doing?"

Jenna turned off the TV and looked at the objects Elena had in her hand, a flash of recognition going through her face. "What are you doing with that?"

"I went yesterday and got it from the safe deposit box," Elena explained as she started polishing a small pocket watch. "Mom told Mrs. Lockwood that she would loan it to the Founder's Council for the heritage display."

Jenna started picking through the small kick-knacks in the box while I ate my breakfast in silence. I'd never been too interested in the affairs of the Founder's Council – they were all a bunch of old idiots to me – at least until Uncle John had told me his little story about vampires and how the Council was first set to keep the town safe from them. I'd never believed him, but after seeing the girl my ex cheated on me with getting munched on by my sister's boyfriend's brother I came to two very important conclusions: one, everything Uncle John had told me had a certain measure of truth in it and, two, my relationships had become way too confusing.

"Is that Grandma Beth's wedding ring?" Jenna asked, pulling out the small piece of jewelry from the box and holding it in front of her eyes for closer inspection.

"Originally it was great-great Grandma Mary's wedding ring," Elena corrected in her know-it-all voice.

I felt a presence behind me as Jeremy finally made his appearance. He reached over my head and grabbed the pocket watch Elena had finished polishing. "How much do you think this stuff is worth?" he asked, examining the watch closely. "You know, like on e-Bay."

"You're not gonna find out!" Elena scolded, reaching out of snatch the watch out of Jeremy's hands.

"And this is a fight I surprisingly want no part in," I said, grabbing my plate and cup and taking them to the sink, suddenly not so hungry. I wasn't exactly a pacifist, but Elena and Jeremy being at each other's throats all the time was starting to seriously piss me off. Thankfully, the fighting was interrupted by the sound of the door ringing. "Wonder who that might be. Right, Elena?"

She shot me an annoyed look before she headed for the front door to welcome her prince charming. Jenna and I shared a look at her behavior. "She's so into him," Jenna said, voicing my thoughts exactly.

"I know… it's sickening," I added, grabbing the small black purse I'd left hanging on one of the chairs in the kitchen the previous night. "I'm bored, I'm going to the Grill."

"Don't stay out too late, alright?" Jenna pleaded before I left the room.

"I'll be back for dinner," I assured her before I headed for the front door, passing Elena and Stefan on my way. The two of them were too busy lip-locking to notice anything else going on around them. "Cover up, you two. We don't need any more boring, old-young kids like you two running around."

"Cassie!"

I slammed the door behind me, before my eardrums were perforated by my sister's shrill yell. Damn, the girl had a set of lungs on her.

* * *

"Son of a – "

The eight ball had gone right into the left corner pocket and the game was over.

"Aww, don't be a sore loser, Chad," I mock-pouted, leaning on my cue stick sexily before sticking out my left hand. "You lost. Pay up."

Reluctantly, the teenage boy slapped a fifty into my hand, shrugging his shoulders at his friends' sympathetic looks. They'd all lost at least a match and some of their money against me, stupidly betting that they would be able to beat me at pool… as if! Tyler might've been a crappy boyfriend, but at least he taught me to kick ass at the game, and those stupid jocks I'd just played had supplied me with enough money to get a new dress for the Founder's party.

"How about you play with someone who actually has a chance at beating you?" a deep, husky voice I was all too familiar with whispered in my ear. Speak of the devil… Turning on my heel, I came face to face with Tyler; one of the two people in Mystic Falls I would've been happy to never see again (the other being Damon Salvatore, for obvious reasons).

"Hmm… I think I'll pass," I said after a moment of pretending to consider his offer. I dropped my stick on the pool table and walked around Tyler, but, of course, he wouldn't let me go so easily and he grabbed my arm.

"Scared you'll lose?" he taunted, smirking knowingly as my haughty expression turned into a fierce one. He knew better than anyone that I was not one to back down from a challenge, no matter how stupid it was.

"Not exactly," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady even though I was practically shaking in anger at Tyler's touch on my skin. "I just collected more than enough money to get myself a new dress, so there's no point in me beating you today."

"How about we don't play for money then?" Tyler asked, using his grip on my arm to bring me closer to him.

"You know I don't play just for the thrill of the game," I retorted, stepping as far away from him as I could considering he was still holding on to me pretty tightly. "I need something to make it more… _exciting_." I leaned forward to whisper the last word in his ear, smirking in triumph when a shiver went down his spine and his hold on my arm loosened enough for me to be able to get away from him. I immediately put a few good feet of distance between us and grabbed my purse from a nearby chair. "Sorry, babe."

"I have a proposition for you," he called loudly, making me stop in my tracks as I intended to get to the door so I could leave the bar.

"Nothing you could offer me could possibly make me want to voluntarily spend another second in your presence," I shot back at him, intending to leave but being cut off in my exit by his words once more.

"What if I promised to leave you alone during the Founder's party if you beat me?" he said, and the temptation of having a Tyler-free evening was too much for me to walk away from. I turned around and motioned for him to go on. He smirked, knowing he had successfully captured my interest. "I won't come near you, talk to you or even stare at you all night, which will be quite difficult considering how hot you look in a dress."

"And if you win?" I asked, knowing there had to be some catch… his offer seemed too good to be true.

"If I win, then you'll be my date for the party," he said, not even blinking at the disgusted expression that crossed my face.

"I'd rather go with Eugene," I deadpanned.

"Who?"

"That loser kid from school that sits in the park during recess and eats bugs."

"Really?" Tyler's smug face had fallen by then.

"Uh huh," I confirmed absentmindedly, taking off my purse and placing it on the same chair it was on before. "That's why I'm going to kick your ass right now and get an evening free from you."

"We'll see," was all he said as he racked up the balls for me to break. As the game progressed, it was easy for me to remember why I'd fallen for Tyler in the first place. He was handsome, had the same dry sense of humor I did and he definitely could be charming when he wanted to, something he was doing right at the moment in hopes of distracting me enough so he could take the lead in the very tight match we were playing.

Unfortunately for him, two could play at that game, and I was more than skilled at sticking out my ass when it was my turn to shoot or at pressing my boobs against him when it was his. He got so jostled in one occasion that he even managed to pocket the eight ball before it was time, immediately causing him to lose.

"You cheated!" was his instant response. His eyes, which had been so playful a couple of minutes before were narrowed in anger, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"You know I never play fair," I reminded him, happily grabbing my purse once more and walking towards the entrance to the Grill, but not before calling out to him over my shoulder. "See you tomorrow… not!"

* * *

"So we'll just make sure there's some vervain in Caroline's drink so that he'll pass out when he attempts to drink from her? Is it really that easy?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the whole idea," Stefan said, sounding clearly uncomfortable. I smirked at that, picturing his face, even though I wasn't able to see it. "Are you nearly done?"

"Almost," I called out as I straightened out the dress I was trying on. Stepping out of the changing room, I did a little twirl in front of Stefan, smirking at the way his eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the short black dress with see-through lace patches. "I think we have a winner."

"Any particular reason why you're taking the most revealing dress in the store?" Stefan's voice asked from the other side of the door as I changed out of the dress and into my regular clothes.

"I just want to see Tyler's face when he sees me tonight dressed like this and knows he can't even look at me for too long because of our bet," I replied, smirking evilly at the thought. "And it's not like it's tacky or anything… it's Versace for fuck's sake!"

"And why did you have to drag me shopping with you?" Stefan asked, looking quite relieved to see me stepping out of the changing room with the chosen dress in hand.

"Because you're my bud, Steffie," I said in a fake sweet voice, having quite enjoyed his pained expression at having been dragged to the nearest mall and around practically every store. "This is what friends are supposed to do. How else would I have found out which dress would piss off Tyler the most if I hadn't seen you ogle me as soon as you saw me in this dress?"

"Gee, I don't know," he said in a mock thinking tone. "By prancing around in front of any red-blooded male in the store?"

"That could've worked too," I agreed, handing the dress and my credit card to the girl behind the counter. "But then we wouldn't have had the chance to talk about our master plan to bring down your brother without the danger of being overheard."

"I'm sure we would've eventually found a place that didn't require for me to stand around giggling and gossiping girls for two hours while you tried on every black dress you could get your hands on," he countered, as he gently, but firmly, placed his hand on the small of my back to guide me out of the store before I could ask him to help me browse for shoes or jewelry.

"Aww, you're such a sour vamp, Steffie," I playfully whined as we walked back towards my car. "I'm definitely going to need to teach you how to loosen up… live a little. For example, how about next time we go shopping you use that tricky little mind thingie you've got so I can just borrow the clothes from the store?"

"That's stealing you're talking about, you know that, right?" he said, lifting his eyebrows in his I'm-not-impressed face.

"You say potato, I say potato," I shrugged, clicking the little button in my key pad to unlock the car's doors. As I was going to open the driver's door, though, a hand shot out in front of me, stopping me from getting into my own car. "What are you doing?"

"I'm driving us back to your house," he declared in a matter of fact tone.

"And what gave you that impression?" I asked, holding on to my keys tightly as Stefan's hand shot out in front of him, motioning for me to place my precious keys on his palm.

"I'm not getting in that car while you're driving ever again," he simply said, still standing between me and the door.

"I'm an excellent driver!" I protested.

"You almost ran over a little boy in a bike!"

"He got in my way!"

"He was on the sidewalk!"

"Fine! You win!" I surrendered, placing a set of keys on Stefan's hand, causing him to relax instantly. As quickly as I could, I spun around Stefan and got into the driver's seat, pressing the button that locked all the doors from the inside. I used my car keys to start my car while Stefan gave a puzzled look to the set of keys I had given him, which actually were for my parents' Lake House. "You can run back!"

"Cassie –!"

I sped out of the mall's parking lot, cackling madly at Stefan's pissed off expression on my rearview mirror.

* * *

I parked my car in front of my house, hastily getting out with my shopping bag in hand and hurrying towards the door. I had about three hours to get ready for the party tonight and I still had to shower, do my nails, my hair and my make-up. As soon as I stepped through the front door, I heard voices from the kitchen and I walked towards them noticing my sister and Bonnie gossiping like old ladies as they painted their nails.

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon," Bonnie was saying in a tone that suggested she wasn't supposed to be divulging that particular information, "and that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine, he filled her head with all these lies until finally it worked and she turned against Damon."

"That sounds like one person's side of the story, meaning Damon's," Elena concluded, not believing for a second her dear Stefan could have so many issues.

"And let's not forget who the creepy looking brother is," I piped in, stepping into the kitchen and making my presence known. Both girls jumped up about a mile at my sudden interruption and I smirked in amusement at their shocked expressions. "Personally, I wouldn't believe a word that came out of Damon's mouth. If he told me it was a sunny day, I'd probably take an umbrella with me."

"You're back from your shopping trip?" Elena asked, placing a hand on her chest to calm her furiously beating heart. I raised my Versace bag in response, watching in pleasure as her eyes widened at the words stamped on the bag. "Please don't tell me you stole from a store again."

"Chillax Elena, you're going to get wrinkly and gross if you keep frowning so much," I said, rolling my eyes at the glare she shot at me. She opened her mouth to give me a lecture, but I interrupted her before she could. "Before you can start shouting about it, no, I didn't steal this dress. I worked hard and I saved enough money to buy myself something nice."

"You don't even have a job," Bonnie pointed out as I filled a glass with water and drained it in a few gulps.

"Sure I do," I corrected her as I filled my glass again. "My whole life revolves around kicking some idiot boys' asses at pool and stripping them of their lunch money. Cheers!"

Bonnie giggled at my joke, but Elena still looked murderous, so I decided it was a good time to run upstairs and have a quick shower before Elena could start ranting. So I did just that. I locked myself up in my room, took a shower, blow dried my hair to give my natural curls a windblown look and put on some black eye shadow around my eyes, making them pop out more than they usually did. I donned my dress, checked myself in the mirror to make sure I was still the hottest thing on the planet (I was) and walked down the stairs, placing my phone in the small clutch I carried with me.

"Oh my God, I'm really going to have the hottest date to this party," Jenna gushed as she saw me walking towards the front door, where my sister, Bonnie and Stefan were waiting for me.

"Too bad I don't have a dick," I shrugged, lacing my arm through the one my aunt mockingly extended to me.

"Honey, if you had a dick, I'd probably jump your bones right now and we wouldn't be going anywhere for the rest of the night," my lovely Aunt deadpanned, causing Bonnie to choke on her laughter, Stefan to look faintly amused at our family dynamics and Elena to look at us with a scandalized expression.

"Jenna!" she shrieked in that shrill voice of hers.

"Run!" I gasped, grabbing onto my Aunt's hand as well as Bonnie's and practically dragging both women towards Jenna's car in my haste to get away from my sister. Family… what's not to love about them. Especially if they're as crazy as mine.

* * *

I was smirking. I know – it wasn't much of a change when compared to my usual expressions, but seeing Tyler's awestruck face when he set eyes on me in my sexy little black dress, as well as Whory Donovan's murderous glare had definitely made my day. That girl clearly had some issues if she couldn't get herself a date that wasn't practically drooling over the mere sight of his ex.

"You're a cruel person and you're going to hell, you know that, right?" Jenna asked from her spot to my left while Bonnie chuckled at my evil expression from her place to my right. The three of us were standing in line behind Stefan and Elena, waiting to greet Mayor and Mrs. Lockwood before entering the house.

"Make sure to book me a room close to yours then," I said, laughing as I dodged my guardian's attempt at child abuse.

"Hi, Mayor Lockwood!" Elena greeted brightly once we finally got to the Manor's door.

The man immediately put on one of his fake smiles as he approached our little group. "Hey! Hey, guys, come on in," he invited, making it possible for Stefan to step over the threshold. As my sister and her boyfriend stepped into the house, the Mayor caught sight of me. "Cassandra, you look even more stunning than usual!"

"Thanks, Mayor," I acknowledged, putting on a smile as fake as his. I never actually liked the man too much, but he was the town's Mayor and even _I_ was smart enough to know it was always useful to have friends in high places. Having been his son's girlfriend, I knew the Mayor pretty well, and both he and Mrs. Lockwood liked me well enough, even if it only was for being a Gilbert and, therefore, part of the Founding Families elite. "Everything looks beautiful."

"Thank you, honey. Have fun!"

And with that, our little group finally moved deeper into the house, breaking off into smaller groups. Jenna was quick to run off to get herself a drink – probably alcoholic – while Bonnie approached a few girls from school to say hello. Stefan and I exchanged a meaningful look once we caught sight of Caroline, and I gave him a small nod to let him know I had everything under control before walking towards the blonde and her mother and allowing Steffie to run off with my sister.

"Hey, Sheriff," I greeted cheerily, noticing the tension hanging thickly in the air between mother and daughter but deciding it would be wise not to comment on it. "Hey, Care. You look gorgeous."

"Cassie!" Caroline shrieked as soon as he saw me, throwing her arms around me and hugging me so tightly I was almost squeezed to death. "You look hot!"

"Don't I always?" I asked rhetorically, throwing a cheeky wink at the Sheriff, who, being my best friend's mother, was familiar with my antics and had learned a long time ago to just laugh at them.

"Other people could also look decent if they changed out of their uniforms once in a while," Caroline snidely added, not being able to resist the urge to make a jab at her mother.

"Claws in, Care," I warned, grabbing onto her arm and starting to pull her away from a saddened Liz. "Don't worry, Sheriff. I'll keep an eye on her."

"That's not really reassuring!" the woman called at us after our backs had been turned.

"She couldn't even leave the badge at home for a day, could she?" Caroline asked, fuming, apparently, at her mother's lack of taste in fashion. However, I knew better, and I was certain that Caroline was actually pissed that her mother didn't show as much dedication to her family as she did to her job. She still blamed Liz for her divorce a few years ago, even though her dad was and had always been gay and there was nothing her mum could've done about that.

"She's the Sheriff, Care," I said, finding it hard to be the voice of reason when usually I was the one wreaking havoc. "Who will look after us if she takes a break from her job?"

"We live in Mystic Falls, Cassie!" the blonde protested as she guided me through the crowd, probably looking for her psycho boyfriend. "It's not like there are any serial killers on the loose here!"

Right then, I caught sight of Damon Salvatore sitting at the bar and staring creepily at his brother and my sister. "Sure there aren't," I muttered lowly as I resigned myself to spending my night making sure Damon didn't drag my best friend to a far away corner to kill her or something. So much for enjoying a Tyler-free evening…

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Cassie Gilbert," the creep in question drawled as he checked me out. I cursed at myself for my dressing choice; I might've been able to piss off Tyler, but drawing Damon's attention towards myself wasn't really something I was planning on. Caroline looked adoringly at her boyfriend and practically threw herself at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek when she got to his side. "Would you two lovely ladies like for me to get you a drink?"

"Champagne for me," Caroline was quick to say. "I'll be right back. I need to use the ladies' room."

And with that, my great friend left me alone with a psycho vampire killer. I really needed to think about getting better friends. "And for you?" Damon asked with phony politeness as I got near him and leaned on the bar.

"I can get my own drinks, thanks," I brushed him off, adding the last part sarcastically as I would probably never thank Damon Salvatore for anything.

"You're not of age," Damon reminded me.

I didn't bother to reply as a waiter got close to us and asked me what I would like to drink. The waiter was male, young and was looking me up and down. I smirked sexily and watched in triumph as his eyes widened comically. "I'd like some bourbon. Straight up," I requested, throwing Damon a smug look as the guy practically stumbled over his own feet to get me what I wanted. "I don't need any mind tricks to make men do what I want."

"I can see that," he said, looking at me with calculating eyes before getting a faraway look, as if thinking of a time long past. The waiter got back with my drink and then Damon asked him for another glass of bourbon for him and champagne for Caroline, snapping out of his daydream. Once the guy was a couple of feet away getting our drinks, the vampire douche finally turned to me once more, a smug smirk present on his face. "So, you're now willingly spending time with me. You should be careful or I'll think you're warming up to me."

I snorted at the sheer stupidity of the idea behind his words before downing my glass and slamming it meaningfully on the bar top. "Don't kid yourself, sweetheart," I drawled, smirking as his eyes narrowed. "I'd have to be deaf, blind and stupid to want to spend even a minute of my time with you."

"Why are you here, then?" he asked, his previously cocky tone taking on an angry undertone. "You think you can keep me from having a bite from your little friend? She's a tasty one, that one."

"I don't _think_ I can protect her, Damon. I _know_ I can," I assured him, my voice dropping a few octaves with the threat hanging from my words. Keeping eye contact with the blue eyed vampire, I meaningfully placed the clutch I'd been carrying around on the bar, exactly between the two of us. His eyes darted down towards it before they met mine once again, confusion clear in them. "It may be small, but I can still fit a stake into it. So no funny business or I'll stake your ass even if I have to do it in front of a bunch of prissy wannabe snobs. Is that clear enough for you?"

We stared at each other for a few moments, both of us measuring up the other, and I was pleased to notice that, in my heels, I stood a couple of inches taller than him. My expression was blank as I looked at him, waiting for the truth behind my threat to sink in. I'd failed Caroline by letting her get close to Damon Salvatore in the first place, a mistake I was planning to correct before the night was over. His expression was a mixture of surprise, probably shocked that a puny human like myself had so openly threatened him, and, most surprisingly, a bit of apprehension. I was glad to know that Damon knew me well enough to be sure that my words weren't idle by any means.

"What are you two talking about?"

"You, of course," I replied with honesty, smiling as my blonde friend skipped towards us, back from her trip to the toilet. "I was just telling Damon about the time we went shopping for the dress you're wearing right now."

"You mean the time that we almost got arrested because you _borrowed_ a pair of sunglasses and _forgot_ to pay for them?" Caroline deadpanned, not at all amused by the memory. Damon, though, was clearly trying to hold back his laughter at the blonde's indignation.

"I got us out of it, didn't I?" I asked, smiling too at the fond memories I had of the past situations I'd gotten us into.

"You flirted with the security guard and practically flashed him!" she protested shrilly. I was chuckling by then and so was Damon.

"I didn't flash him!" I complained in the same whiny voice as Caroline. "I just showed him a tad of cleavage!"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Damon quoted, smirking at my irritated glare while Caroline giggled stupidly at his words.

"Stefan is so the nicer brother," I said, the slight venom in my voice going unnoticed by Caroline.

"Where _is_ my little brother, by the way?" Damon asked to no one in particular, before leaning towards Caroline and looking at her straight in the eye. "You should ask him to dance."

"I should ask Stefan to dance," Caroline repeated monotonously, clearly under the effect of compulsion. I threw Damon an unimpressed look, to which he just shrugged, unmoved. "Why don't we go find Stefan and Elena?"

"Great idea, honey," Damon coddled her, in a nauseatingly sweet voice. I rolled my eyes, but followed the couple as they moved through the crowd and the different rooms of the house in search of my sister and her boyfriend.

As we moved into the room containing all the historical artifacts donated by the Founding Families, I finally caught sight of my sister's dark mane and Stefan's lighter hair over the heads of other people in the crowd. Damon must've seen them too, because he was soon steering Caroline in that direction.

"Is that Damon Salvatore? And Stefan Salvatore?" I heard my sister's voice asking Stefan as she turned to him with a befuddled expression.

"The original Salvatore brothers," Damon said, stepping forward towards them with Caroline at his side. Standing to Caroline's other side, I gave Stefan an apologetic look before turning my attention back to the conversation at hand. "Our ancestors. Tragic story actually."

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past," Stefan interrupted as he stepped forward, standing close to me and eyeing Damon warily. The tension between the two brothers was almost palpable and I was enjoying watching the sibling rivalry between someone else other than Elena and Jeremy or me and Elena when, of course, my goody-two-shoes sister had to diffuse the situation.

"It's not boring, Stefan," she said, smiling sweetly at her boyfriend and his brother, clearly still under the impression that Damon wasn't actually all that bad. "I love to hear more about your family."

I rolled my eyes at her appeasing reply. Damon threw a self-satisfied look towards Stefan, while the brother I liked the most was silently fuming at his brother's clear enjoyment of the situation.

"Well, I'm bored," Caroline protested, looking like a pouty little kid. "I wanna dance! And Damon won't dance with me." Ahh, the power of compulsion… "Could I just… _borrow_ your date?"

"You do realize that's the word I always use when I really mean steal, don't you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows questioningly and smirking under my friend's annoyed look.

"Oh, emm…"

"I don't really dance," Stefan said, interrupting my sister's awkward non-response.

"Sure he does," Damon corrected, clearly trying to both annoy his brother and be left unsupervised. "You should see him: waltz, jitterbug the moonwalk. He does it all."

"You wouldn't mind, would you Elena?" Caroline asked, even though anyone with half a brain could see the uncomfortable expression on my sister's face.

"It's up to Stefan," she shrugged, trying not to act like the clingy, obsessive girlfriend.

"That's a yes," I piped in, smirking as both Damon and Elena threw me an aggravated look.

"Well, sorry, but I'm not gonna take no for an answer," Caroline said before proceeding to grab Stefan's arm and drag him away from the group. Before my blonde friend managed to get him out of the room, Stefan's eyes met mine in a meaningful look, in which I promised to keep an eye on Elena and Stefan informed me step one of Take Down Damon plan was going to be put to action while he was gone.

"That looked a bit chilly back there," Elena commented off-handedly as she turned back to appreciate the historical display. I stood between Damon and my sister as the three of us pretended to watch the exhibit, though we were actually more interested in the topic Elena had just brought up.

"My therapist says I'm… acting out trying to punish Stefan," he said dramatically. As he put on that amazing (and vomit inducing) show of repentance, I could feel his hand being placed on my waist, unseen by Elena's eyes. I threw him a glare, and he, of course, responded with a smirk.

"For what?" Elena asked.

"It's all in the past; I don't even want to bring it up," Damon said, hastily removing his hand once I made a move to open my clutch and pull something out of it. "Let's just say the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry." I grabbed my lip gloss and started applying it, all the time smirking at Damon's irritated expression. "And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers."

"That sounds like the beginning of a sob-worthy story," I commented sassily, placing my lip gloss back in my clutch but making sure to flash Damon a glimpse of it, so he could see the stake that was comfortably nestled inside.

"The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town," Damon began, choosing to ignore my comment, even though his wide eyes told me he had clearly gotten my message. "Until the war. There was a battle here…"

"The battle of Willow Creek," Elena supplied instantly, acting like the little know-it-all she was.

"Right," Damon said, surprised at her knowledge.

"_Stefan_ did a bit of explaining during one of our last lessons with _Tanner_," I explained, purposefully stressing the two names I knew would get a reaction out of Damon. He looked back at me, clearly unimpressed at my attempt at a joke, while Elena blabbered about historical facts and whatnot.

"What the history books left out," Damon began, clearly having been paying attention to my sister's words, "was that the people that were killed… they weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathizers, so some of the Founders and the Confederacy side back them wanted them rounded up and burned alive." He moved towards a little model of Fell's Church. "Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church." My eyes widened… Stefan hadn't told me about the way Katherine had died and to find out she had been killed in such a cruel way made me not only understand Stefan's broodiness better, but also feel something akin to sympathy for Damon. "And when they went to rescue them, they were… shot. Murdered in cold blood."

He looked at me, furrowing his brow at my troubled expression. After all the people I'd lost in my life, I found myself doing something I didn't think I'd ever be able to do: relate to Damon Salvatore. For the first time ever, I could actually see some emotion in his icy blue eyes, something that made me think there could actually be a human being buried underneath all the arrogance and psychotic-ness.

"Who was in the church that they wanted to save?" Elena asked, interrupting my scrutiny of the emotions Damon was showing through his eyes.

Damon turned towards my sister, but not before throwing me a look that clearly stated that he knew that I knew who that person was. "A woman, I guess," he replied. "Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?"

"I'm sorry," I said honestly, startling the dark haired vampire. He looked at me with surprise, but gave me a small nod when he realized I actually meant what I said.

"I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you," Elena added. "I hope you two can work it out."

The spell was broken and any sincerity Damon's words might've held before was erased in less than a second. "I hope so too," he lied.

"We should go find Stefan and Caroline," I said, frowning as Damon turned to look at me. This time, though, my eyes were hard and unfeeling; I was not about to feel for someone who was so adamant on bringing his own brother down like that. I turned on my heel and walked away from Damon, but not before grabbing onto my sister's hand and pulling her away with me. I knew the eldest Salvatore was following us as I guided our little group towards the back yard, where Carol Lockwood usually set up the dance floor during these events. It was easy to spot Stefan and Caroline standing close to the bar and, with just a glimpse into Steffie's eyes, I knew he'd been successful in his part of the plan.

"What did we miss?" Damon asked as soon as we were close enough to the previously dancing couple. Stefan and Caroline turned around, both holding champagne flutes in their hands.

"We were just chatting," Stefan said innocently. He then offered his drink to his older brother. "Drink, Damon?"

"No thanks, I'll pass," Damon refused, after taking a small moment to consider his brother's intentions. A thick silence followed, and Elena shifted uneasily next to me.

"Stefan," she said, not able to withstand the tension between both brothers, "do you have another dance in you?"

"Absolutely," he said with a smile before he swept my sister off her feet and took her into the dance floor.

"They're so sickening," I said, wrinkling my nose at the cheesy sight.

"They look so cute together," Caroline said dreamily.

"Don't talk please," Damon snapped.

"You don't talk," I snapped back in a very mature way, seeing Caroline's downcast expression. "Let's go Care. Maybe I can score us some vodka if I flirt with the barman from before." With one last glare at the douche bag who called himself my best friend's boyfriend, I dragged her away and back into the house. Instead of heading towards the bar, though, I walked us into the closest bathroom. "Let me use the toilet first and then we'll be off, alright?"

"Sure," Caroline said chirpily, leaning against the bathroom wall.

"Wait for me here, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Of course, the moment I was done with my business and walked out of the bathroom, I found out Caroline was no longer standing where I left her. "Damn it!" I swore running off to find my best friend and make sure she hadn't run off with Damon Salvatore. I looked high and low for her blonde head with no luck and I was starting to get worried when, after about a half-hour of searching, I caught sight of Caroline being dragged away from the party by none other than Damon. I followed after them and, soon, Stefan joined me as we walked a good distance away from them.

We hid behind a thick bush when the two people we were watching stopped in the middle of the park. "She'll be okay," Stefan promised me, having noticed my discomfort at using my best friend as bait for a merciless killer. I nodded absentmindedly, but immediately tensed when I saw Damon walking behind Caroline and stroking her neck meaningfully.

"I'll kill him," I harshly whispered when he finally sank his teeth into my friend's neck. Damon soon dropped to the ground, the vervain in Caroline's blood having a quick effect on him, and I was quick to run towards my blonde friend to make sure she was alright, while Stefan took his time, strutting towards his brother's fallen form slowly, as if savoring his victory.

"I knew I couldn't spike your drink," Stefan said in a slow, creepy voice as he closed in on Damon. Much to my relief, Caroline's pulse was strong and steady, even if she was passed out on the grass. "So I spiked hers." After Damon groaned and basically fainted because of the vervain he had ingested, Stefan moved his eyes towards me. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," I assured him. "I can handle things here. Just go." Stefan nodded at my firm tone and, in half a second, he was gone in a flash of speed. Soon enough, Caroline started to stir and wake up. "Care? Are you okay?"

I helped her sit up, noticing the bleeding in her neck wasn't too serious and had already stopped. She looked around the park, as if waiting for something to jump out of a bush and attack her. "I'm fine," she nodded numbly, picking something up from the grass and holding it tightly in her hand. Her voice, though, was breaking slightly as she spoke. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

I tightly hugged her to my body as we both sat there on the grass, our legs sprawled around us and our dresses probably getting stained. I didn't care though. Damon was gone, Caroline was alive and I wasn't going to let her get hurt again.

**A/N: First of all, thanks for all the support guys! I'm really sorry I haven't been too consistent with my updates thus far but I promise I'll get better once the semester is over and summer begins! I hope you guys liked this chapter and that you'll leave me a review to kick my lazy ass into writing! xoxo**


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